Sebastian Beil

Dr. Sebastian Beil is a Research Fellow and Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion (MPI CEC) in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, leading the 'Electrosynthesis and Photocatalysis' group since 2024. He holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Christian Albrechts University of Kiel (2010–2015), a Ph.D. from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (2015–2019), and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Ulm (2019–2020) and Princeton University (2020–2021). He was an Assistant Professor at the University of Groningen (2021–2024) before joining MPI CEC.

His research focuses on developing sustainable redox transformations using visible light or electrodes, combined with transition metal catalysis to synthesize complex molecules efficiently. The lab’s work bridges organic chemistry and electrochemistry, emphasizing green solvents and scalable methods.

Recent research highlights include advancements in nickel-photocatalytic reactions, functionalization of carbon nanotubes, and mechanistic studies of energy transfer in photocatalytic systems. The team collaborates across disciplines, addressing challenges in catalyst design and reaction efficiency.

Key team members include PhD students Annemijn van Koten (Unilever Prize awardee), Rani Kumari, Tim Stamp, Berjan Stouwie, Ning Wei, and Mahdi Samapour, along with postdoc Zeyu Feng. The lab is part of the broader Waldvogel Lab network, fostering interdisciplinary innovation in electrosynthesis.