Marcel Schreier

Marcel Schreier is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, leading the Schreier Group. His research focuses on electrochemical interfaces for energy storage and advanced chemical manufacturing, with the goal of electrifying the chemical industry and enabling renewable-electricity storage.

Education:

• B.S. in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
• M.S. in Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich
• Ph.D., EPFL (Advisor: Michael Grätzel)
• Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT (Advisor: Yogesh Surendranath, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation)

Research Interests & Vision
The Schreier Group investigates how electric fields at electrochemical interfaces drive chemical transformations, aiming to expand electrocatalytic reactivity beyond small inorganic molecules to hydrocarbons. By understanding elementary surface processes, the group designs systems that convert hydrocarbons using renewable electricity instead of fossil-derived heat, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of chemical manufacturing and opening new energy-storage pathways.

Scientific Awards

• NSF CAREER Award (2024)
• SNSF Postdoctoral Fellowship

Advising & Team
Prof. Schreier mentors a growing interdisciplinary team of Ph.D. students, post-docs, and undergraduates. Recent group members include Meg Kelly, Seonmyeong, Geunryeol, Zach Oliver, Lee Fuller, Christine, Alex Zielinski, Rung Shih, and others who have secured prestigious fellowships and graduate school placements at MIT, University of Michigan, Harvard, and Columbia.

Laboratory & Facilities
The Schreier Group operates within state-of-the-art electrochemistry and catalysis laboratories in Engineering Hall at UW–Madison, equipped for mechanistic studies, reactor prototyping, and operando spectro-electrochemical characterization.