Walter Leitner

Prof. Walter Leitner is a Professor of Technical Chemistry and Petrochemistry at RWTH Aachen University, leading the Molecular Catalysis group at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung. He holds a Chair established in 2002 and serves as Managing Director of the MPI's Molecular Catalysis division. His research focuses on sustainable catalytic processes, particularly CO2 utilization, green chemistry, and molecular catalysis. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Regensburg and extensive postdoctoral experience at Oxford and Jena.

Key research interests include adaptive catalytic systems, nanomaterials in catalysis, and renewable energy integration. Notable achievements include pioneering work in CO2 conversion and receiving awards like the European Sustainable Chemistry Award (2014) and the Georg Wittig-Victor Grignard Prize (2020). His labs employ advanced techniques like computational chemistry and flow reactors.

Leitner leads major initiatives such as the Cluster of Excellence 'The Fuel Science Center' and coordinates the EU-funded SYNFLOW project. His group collaborates internationally, addressing challenges in biofuel production, carbon-neutral propulsion, and sustainable chemical synthesis. He actively publishes in top journals like Angewandte Chemie and ACS Catalysis.