Sebastian Zeki Oener

Dr. Sebastian Zeki Oener is a Group Leader at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, leading the Interfacial Ionics group within the Interface Science Department. He holds a PhD from FOM Institute AMOLF and has conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Oregon (now UC Berkeley) under the DFG fellowship. His research focuses on interfacial ionic processes in bipolar membranes and electrochemical interfaces, with a particular emphasis on solvation kinetics and entropic effects in electrocatalysis. He has been awarded the ERC Starting Grant (2023), DFG-ANR, and BMBF grants for his work on interfacial ionics. Dr. Oener teaches the MSc course Electrochemistry 2.0 at the Free University of Berlin and supervises a dynamic research group of PhD students and postdocs.

Education: Physics (University of Konstanz, 2006), PhD in nanoscale photovoltaics (FOM Institute AMOLF, 2012).

Research interests include water dissociation catalysts, bipolar membrane design, and the role of bias-dependent entropic changes in electrochemical reactions. His group's findings challenge traditional theoretical approaches and have advanced electrochemical technologies for green hydrogen production and energy storage.

Key awards: ERC Starting Grant (2023), DFG Return Fellowship (2020), DFG-ANR and BMBF grants (2023).

Lab activities: Development of operando methods to study ionic processes, collaboration with industry on bipolar membrane applications, and mentoring early-career researchers in electrochemistry and catalysis.