Emerging Investigator Series – Titel Jurca

Titel Jurca obtained his B.Sc. at the University of Ottawa where he was first introduced to catalysis research in Deryn Fogg’s group, and at the University of Windsor working for Doug Stephan on FLPs. He returned to the University of Ottawa for his Ph.D. with Darrin Richeson on group 13 coordination chemistry. In 2012 he joined Ian Manners at the University of Bristol as a Marie Curie postdoctoral fellow to work on main-group polymers. In 2015 he returned to North America to work in Tobin Marks’ group at Northwestern University on projects ranging from inorganic coordination compounds, to atomic layer deposition and heterogeneous catalysis. In 2017 he began his independent career at the University of Central Florida. His group works at the intersection of small molecules and materials chemistry to create new catalyst systems

Read his Emerging Investigator article “Robust palladium catalysts on nickel foam for highly efficient hydrogenations” and read more about his work in the interview below:

 

How do you feel about Catalysis Science & Technology as a place to publish research on this topic?

Catalysis Science & Technology is the perfect venue for this type of work – spanning materials science to catalytic application. The journal has an excellent reputation in the catalysis community, a great diversity of published research spanning all areas relevant to catalysis, and a global reach.

 

What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

Our goal is to discover and develop increasingly complex hierarchical catalyst systems based on monolith cores. By developing hierarchical systems we incorporate multiple components and begin to delineate their influence/contribution to the whole system and how that correlates to catalyst performance in terms of reusability, reactivity, and selectivity. This is very exciting because we have a great deal of components we can combine to create these new systems, with the possibility of discovering many new and exciting catalysts. The most challenging aspect is also figuring out exactly how all of these components interact. The other difficulty is characterization of monolith systems and delineation of reaction mechanisms.

 

In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

Just in the past few years we have made great strides in better understanding catalyst-support relationships. As we work with increasingly more complex catalyst systems, we now need to understand how all of the components are influencing each other. Along those lines, we still need to better understand preparative route to catalyst property relationships, even starting out from molecular precursors – for example we use atomic layer deposition as part of catalyst design and we need to understand what the impact of molecular precursor choice is on the resulting catalyst performance. Finally, we should strive to enhance reproducibility, which has always been a difficult topic in heterogeneous catalysis.

 

Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

Your greatest legacy is the success of the people you mentor. Do your best to prioritize those that have taken a chance on joining your group.

Keep up to date with Titel and his research on his lab website.

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Catalysis Science & Technology Emerging Investigator- Yi-Hsuan Lai

Yi-Hsuan Lai grew up in Taiwan and obtained her BSc in Chemical Engineering from National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in 2007 and her MSc in Chemical Engineering from National Taiwan University in 2009. In 2011 she moved to the UK to pursue her PhD in solar water splitting in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Professor Erwin Reisner. After receiving her PhD in 2015, she moved back to Taiwan and started her independent career in 2016 as an Assistant Professor at National Sun Yat-sen University. Since 2019, she has been an Assistant Professor at NCKU in the Materials Science and Engineering Department.

Her research interests include photoelectrochemistry, electrocatalysis, and sustainability. Her research group currently focuses on synthesising effective and robust materials and selective catalysts based on Earth-abundant elements for artificial photosynthesis and (photo)electrochemical organic waste valorisation.

Find out more about Yi-Hsuan’s research on her webpage

Read Yi-Hsuan Lai’s Emerging Investigator Series article, ‘Selective production of formate over a CuO electrocatalyst by electrochemical and photoelectrochemical biomass valorisation‘, DOI: 10.1039/D2CY00950A

1. How do you feel about Catalysis Science & Technology as a place to publish research on this topic?

Catalysis Science & Technology is a renowned journal with high standards in the field of catalysis. I am, therefore, very grateful to have the chance to engage in the Emerging Investigator Series of Catalysis Science & Technology.

2. What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

Discovering a selective catalyst made of only earth-abundant elements for (photo)electrochemically organic waste valorisation and uncovering the corresponding mechanisms are the most exciting aspects of our work. We currently make more efforts on the rational design of earth-abundant electrocatalysts for achieving higher catalytic activity and stability.

3. Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

Stay true to yourself and enjoy science despite obstacles and challenges.

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Catalysis Science & Technology Emerging Investigator- Prof. Dr. Viktoria Däschlein-Gessner

 

Photographer: @RUB, Marquard

Viktoria H. Gesner (Däschlein-Gessner) is Professor for Inorganic Chemistry at the Ruhr-University of Bochum (Germany). She obtained her PhD under the supervision of Prof. C. Strohmann at TU Dortmund in 2009 and was postdoc with Prof. T. D. Tilley at the University of California in Berkeley (USA). After a further postdoctoral stay with Prof. H. Braunschweig at the University of Würzburg she started her independent career and completed her Habilitation in 2015. Since 2016 she is Professor at the at the Ruhr-University of Bochum.

Viktoria’s research interests lie in the field of organometallic chemistry and catalysis. She has worked on the development of carbanionic and ylidic ligands for the stabilization of reactive main group compounds, the synthesis of new reagents and the design of new catalysts. Her group’s work has been published in more than 100 publications and recognized by series of awards and prices. Furthermore, she is mother of two children, loves running and good food and is a passionate soccer fan (Borussia Dortmund).

Read Viktoria’s Emerging Investigator article, ‘Synthesis of Sterically Encumbered Di- and Triarylamines by Palladium-Catalysed C-N Coupling Reactions at Mild Reaction Conditions’, DOI: 10.1039/D1CY02352G and check out her video interview below to find out more about her work and advice for early-career researchers

 

You can keep up to date with Viktoria and her research on Twitter @ViktoriaGessner

 

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Catalysis Science & Technology Emerging Investigator- Luis Miguel Azofra

Luis Miguel Azofra (Ramón y Cajal Fellow) loves Quantum Chemistry as much as the sea. The latter was a gift he received for being born in the Canary Islands, the first is a passion he learned during his PhD in Prof Alkorta’s lab (CSIC, Spain). In 2015, Dr Sun and Prof MacFarlane introduced him to the field of catalysis (Monash University, Australia), and in 2016 he joined Prof Cavallo’s group as an in-silico designer (KAUST, Saudi Arabia). Currently, Dr Azofra is an early-career research leader at Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where he combines his efforts as a researcher and lecturer.

Find out more about Luis Miguel Azofra’s work on his webpage

Read Luis Miguel Azofra’s Emerging Investigator Series article, ‘Competition between metal-catalysed electroreduction of dinitrogen, protons, and nitrogen oxides: a DFT perspective’, DOI: 10.1039/D2CY00389A and check out our interview below

 

How do you feel about Catalysis Science & Technology as a place to publish research on this topic?

Catalysis is amongst the broadest topics in chemical research and we, the researchers, need spaces that host these findings. In this aspect, CS&T is a point of reference to communicate your research in catalysis. But in addition, it is a point of reference to learn about the extensive outstanding research in the catalytic field that is carried out all over the world. Broad scope, high-quality research, exhaustive peer-review process, and endorsed by the Royal Society of Chemistry. I think this says it all.

What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

Well, I have been quite lucky to have been doing research in some of the most important leading R&D centres across the world during my PhD and postdoc stages. Undoubtedly, the experience gained over the years has allowed me to have achieved the highest goal that a researcher in Spain can dream of, that is, being awarded the Ramón y Cajal research fellow in chemical sciences. It will be five years of intense research activity in which I will dedicate significant efforts into two areas of great current interest, which are the development of second-generation catalysts for the synthesis of green ammonia and the revisiting of the light-assisted organometallic chemistry for the transformation of organic molecules with applications in fine chemistry.

In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

Wow! For the first, the challenge is undoubtedly the searching of novel materials capable of suppress the generation of hydrogen in favour of the transformation of nitrogen into ammonia and doing it in good yields and production rates. I strongly believe that the theoretical research has much to say in this topic, not only explaining the reaction mechanisms fitting to the experimental results of our colleagues working in the lab, but also predicting prior-to-synthesis behaviours. In this concern, it seems that all efforts should be put into what it seems the best strategy developed so far, i.e., the lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction process. How much remains to be done in optimising the reaction? Can the catalyst be improved with structural modifications? Is there something better beyond lithium? These are some of the questions to which we will have to seek answers. Concerning the second, in recent years, remarkable advances have been described with outstanding investigations at the experimental level. And I say it, because I just attended to the 2023 KAUST Research Conference where some of the most prominent researchers in the field have attested it with their terrific and outstanding presentations. In my opinion, at theoretical level there is little support, so much remains to be done, not only at the level of research production but also in terms of nuts and bolts.

Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

“Ancora imparo”, this is the motto of MonashUni, one of my former institutions. It means ‘I am still learning’. So, always have to be learning, be thirsty to learn new techniques, introduce yourself to new topics, set yourself new challenges, never give up, surround yourself with good professionals, do not want to be better than others but every day give the best version of yourself and, of course, enjoy your life —we only have one.

Follow Luis Miguel Azofra on Twitter @Azofra_LM  to keep up to date with his latest research

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Catalysis Science & Technology Emerging Investigator- Caroline Saouma

Caroline Saouma was born in Pittsburgh, PA and grew up between Boulder, Colorado and Lausanne, Switzerland. After visiting NIST (The National Institute of Standards and Technology) as a second grader, she knew she wanted to be a scientist. She went to MIT to complete her bachelor’s degree in chemistry, where she did research with Steve Lippard on developing cisplatin analogues that target specific malignancies. She then went to Caltech to complete her PhD under the supervision of Jonas Peters, where she investigated iron-mediated reductions of CO2 and N2. Her postdoctoral work with Jim Mayer focused on PCET reactions of synthetic FeS clusters and MOFs. As an assistant professor at the University of Utah, her group is focused on mechanistic studies and catalyst design for energy, with an emphasis on CO2 capture and recycling. She is a strong advocate of equity in the sciences, serving as a mentor to several groups and integrating diversity, equity, and inclusivity discussions into her undergraduate courses. For this and her contributions to education, she was named an NBA Utah Jazz and Instructure/CANVAS “Most Valuable Educator” in 2022, one of only 21 educators selected from the entire state of Utah (and the only non-K-12 educator). Outside of work, she enjoys the outdoors and is an avid cyclist and cross-country skier.

 

Read Caroline’s Emerging Investigator article, ‘Large changes in hydricity as a function of charge and not metal in (PNP)M–H (de)hydrogenation catalysts that undergo metal–ligand cooperativity’, DOI:10.1039/D2CY01349E and read our interview below.

 

How do you feel about Catalysis Science & Technology as a place to publish research on this topic?

I enjoy the breadth of the journal, while still being focused on catalysis. As such, it is one of my favorite journals to read because I can see how others approach similar problems with different approaches, or use similar approaches to tackle different problems.

What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

My work is broadly focused on developing catalysts for future energy schemes, as well as integrated carbon capture and recycling systems. I am most excited about the future – what we, collectively as scientists, will be able to achieve by taking different approaches and being inspired by one another.

In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

To me, thinking about the global future infrastructure is integral, and so doing science that can contribute to this effort is important. I do believe that the solution will not come from one approach or system, so I am all for a team effort from diverse scientific specialties to work on future energy schemes.

Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

Always believe in yourself. When needed, seek guidance or mentorship from others, and be willing to self-evaluate and make changes when needed. But deep down, never doubt or give up on yourself.

You can follow Caroline’s research group on Twitter @saoumagrp

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Catalysis Science & Technology Emerging Investigator- Esteban Mejía

Esteban Mejía studied chemistry at National University of Colombia in Bogota, where he also obtained his master’s degree with focus in polymer chemistry. In 2008 he moved to Switzerland to pursue his PhD in homogeneous catalysis at the ETH Zurich under the supervision of Antonio Togni. In 2012 he joined the group of Matthias Beller at the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT) in Rostock (Germany) as a postdoc. Later, he joined the group of Udo Kragl as senior scientist. In 2014 he started his independent career at LIKAT where he completed his Habilitation in 2020 (German equivalent to tenured professorship). He is currently leader of the group of Biocatalysis & Polymer Chemistry at the same institution and coordinator of the bilateral project (Rostock and Hanoi): RoHan – Catalysis SDG Graduate School. His current research focuses on homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, photochemistry, organometallic chemistry, polymers, materials, and sustainability.

Read Esteban’s Open Access Emerging Investigator article, ‘Highly Active Heterogenous Hydrogenation Catalysts Prepared from Cobalt Complexes and Rice Husk Waste’, DOI: 10.1039/D2CY00005A and find out more about Esteban and his work in our interview.

 

How do you feel about Catalysis Science & Technology as a place to publish research on this topic?

Catalysis Science & Technology offers a perfect milieu for both fundamental researches, as well as application-oriented technologies. For projects like this one, where the realization/implementation of the developed processes is our ultimate goal, and at the same time we aim to reach the broadest readership possible, it only makes sense to publish it here.

 

What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

I am certainly excited about seeing our catalysts someday being used in “real-life” applications, and our developed process being used to tackle the technological challenges we devise them for. However, to successfully jump from the bench to the pilot plant is certainly a challenge that requires more than good ideas and generous funding. Most of the time are social or political hurdles (or simply the people’s mindset) the highest activation barriers that we need to surmount.

 

In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

In my opinion, in the field of green chemistry, the most important questions one must ask are “how does this research/process contributes to the overall picture?”, “does it really makes an improvement to status quo?” Apart from the exciting science, it is important to keep always an eye on sustainability aspects like mass-balances, energy consumption, carbon footprint, etc. The achievement of our sustainability goals is only possible by addressing catalysis in a holistic manner.

 

Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

When performing an experiment and assessing the results, you can have two options: either you get what you like, or you like what you get. Every time you interrogate a system you obtain a bit of information that eventually fits in your hypothesis, or helps to refine it or reformulate it. So, don’t get discouraged if you don’t get what you were looking for! Every piece of data is valuable! there are no such things as “bad results”!

 

Find out more about Esteban’s recent work on his group website

You can also follow Esteban on LinkedIn

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Introducing Catalysis Science & Technology’s new Editor-in-Chief Bert Weckhuysen

We are delighted to announce that Professor Bert Weckhuysen (Utrecht University, The Netherlands) has been appointed as the new Editor-in-Chief for Catalysis Science & Technology.

Bert Weckhuysen received his Master degree in Chemical & Agricultural Engineering from Leuven University (Belgium) in 1991. After obtaining his PhD degree in Catalysis from Leuven University in 1995 under the supervision of Prof. Robert Schoonheydt, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Israel Wachs at Lehigh University (USA) and Prof. Jack Lunsford at Texas A&M University (USA). Bert serves as the Distinguished University Professor in Catalysis, Energy & Sustainability at Utrecht University (The Netherlands) and was appointed as the first Distinguished Professor of the Faculty of Science at Utrecht University in 2012. He was a visiting professor at Leuven University (2000-2005), Stanford University & SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (2013-2018), University College London (2014-2017) and ETH Zürich (2022).

The central research theme of the Weckhuysen group is the development of structure-activity relationships and expert systems in the field of heterogeneous catalysis and materials science with special emphasis on the development and use of advanced in situ characterization techniques.

“The rapid development of sustainability in chemistry, energy, and materials science ask for a flagship broad-scope interdisciplinary scientific journal in the field of catalysis that not only fosters fundamental science in the more traditional catalysis fields, but also brings in new, often somewhat more remotely developed methods, materials, and insights that not only inspire, but also continuously rejuvenate the catalysis field.

The introduction of such new developments, often achieved by interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary collaborations, keep catalysis a vibrant field for new scientific discoveries as well as technological breakthroughs, leading to practical in-house as well as large industrial applications.”– Bert Weckhuysen

 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our previous Editor-in-Chief Professor Javier Pérez-Ramírez for his service to the journal.

“The last 11 years on the Editorial Board of Catalysis Science & Technology, including 7 years as Associate Editor and 4 years as Editor-in-Chief, have been memorable. I have overseen the journal’s growth into a well-established, respected, diverse, and inclusive journal for practitioners to publish and follow exciting developments in the field of catalysis.

I am delighted that Bert Weckhuysen is taking over the role. Under the leadership of Bert and the editorial team, I am convinced that the journal will reach new heights.– Javier Pérez-Ramírez


Interested to find out more about Bert’s latest research? See his most recent papers published in Catalysis Science & Technology, all available to read Open Access for free:

Alumina binder effects on the hydrothermal stability of shaped zeolite-based catalyst bodies
Nikolaos Nikolopoulos, Abhijit Wickramasinghe, Gareth T. Whiting* and Bert M. Weckhuysen*

New insights into the NH3-selective catalytic reduction of NO over Cu-ZSM-5 as revealed by operando spectroscopy
Xinwei Ye, Ramon Oord, Matteo Monai, Joel E. Schmidt, Tiehong Chen, Florian Meirer and Bert M. Weckhuysen*

New insights into the biphasic “CO-free” Pauson–Khand cyclisation reaction through combined in situ spectroscopy and multiple linear regression modelling
Robert Geitner*, Tianbai Huang, Stephan Kupfer, Stefanie Gräfe, Florian Meirer and Bert M. Weckhuysen*

Early-stage particle fragmentation behavior of a commercial silica-supported metallocene catalyst
Silvia Zanoni, Nikolaos Nikolopoulos, Alexandre Welle, Aurélien Vantomme and Bert M. Weckhuysen*

Probing coke formation during the methanol-to-hydrocarbon reaction on zeolite ZSM-5 catalyst at the nanoscale using tip-enhanced fluorescence microscopy
Siiri Bienz, Sophie H. van Vreeswijk, Yashashwa Pandey, Giovanni Luca Bartolomeo, Bert M. Weckhuysen*, Renato Zenobi* and Naresh Kumar*

Read more of Bert’s RSC journal articles here.

 

Please join us in welcoming Bert as he leads the journal to continued success, as well as in thanking Javier for his many years of service and dedication to Catalysis Science & Technology.

To keep up to date with the latest catalysis research and other journal news, sign up to our e-alerts.

Meet the CS&T Editorial Board

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UKCC 2022: RSC Poster Prize Winners

 

 

Catalysis Science & Technology, alongside Reaction Chemistry & Engineering, Chemical Science, ChemComm & RSC Advances, were delighted to sponsor 5 Poster Prizes at The 8th UK Catalysis Conference

 

Poster Prize Winners

 

Catalysis Science & Technology

Shima Zainal, University of Manchester                              

“NMR relaxation studies of porous zirconium dioxide in the catalytic transfer hydrogenation of methyl levulinate with ethanol”

 

Reaction Chemistry & Engineering

Deema Khunda, University of Warwick 

“Microplasma–catalysis synergy in dry reforming of methanes”

 

Chemical Science

Gary Morrison, Almac Group   

“Continuous flow photooxidation of alkyl benzenes using ultra-fine bubbles for mass transfer enhancement”

 

ChemComm

Mariia Konstantinova, University of Sheffield

“Hydrothermal Catalytic Conversion of NaHCO3 with Glucose Reductant”

 

RSC Advances

Jaidene Parks, University of Bath

“Bismuth (III) complexes of maltol analogues and their application as antimicrobial ring-opening polymerisation catalysts”

 

Each winner was awarded a certificate and a RSC book voucher. Many congratulations again to our winners, and to all of the poster participants. We were proud to sponsor such excellent contributions and look forward to their future developments.

 

 

 

 

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Emerging Investigator Series – Matthieu Raynal

Matthieu Raynal got his PhD degree under the supervision of Dr P. Braunstein in 2009 (Strasbourg). He conducted postdoctoral studies at UPMC with L. Bouteiller (Paris) and in the group of Prof. P. W. N. M. van Leeuwen at ICIQ (Tarragona, Spain). In 2012, he was appointed as a CNRS researcher at Sorbonne Université, Paris. He is fascinated by how non-covalent interactions can be designed to control the outcome of a catalytic reaction, i.e. supramolecular catalysis. His group is currently developing supramolecular helical catalysts with particular efforts devoted to exalt their chirality amplification and switchable properties. His research activities also concern the design of functional chiral assemblies and the structure-property relationship of supramolecular polymers.

Read his Emerging Investigator article “Asymmetric hydroamination with far fewer chiral species than copper centers achieved by tuning the structure of supramolecular helical catalysts” and read more about his in the interview below:

How do you feel about Catalysis Science & Technology as a place to publish?

Catalysis Science & Technology is a renowned platform for scientific advances in the various fields of catalysis. I’m very pleased that my first article in Catalysis Science & Technology will be part of the 2021 Emerging Investigator Series. It will undoubtedly broaden the audience of our research topic which stands at the frontier between supramolecular chemistry and homogeneous catalysis

What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

I’m fascinated by how non-covalent interactions can help to drive catalytic processes in the desired direction. I’m more specifically working with hydrogen-bonded supramolecular polymers, which possess particularly intriguing properties regarding their chiral and dynamic nature.  I consider that supramolecular catalysts, notably those operating through hydrogen bonds, are still in their infancy but that important applications for this class of catalysts may emerge in the future.

In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

One important question which is intimately related to the paper we published in the EMI is the emergence of homochirality in non-enantiopure systems. This is a fundamental question with implications in the understanding of the origin of biological homochirality. This can also lead to innovative asymmetric catalytic systems which operate with infinitesimal amounts of chiral species.

Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

I just want to express my support to all young academic researchers and new PIs who have been extremely impacted by the actual sanitary crisis.

Keep up to date with Matthieu and his research by following his Twitter @raynal_cnrs

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Emerging Investigator Series – Ludovic Troian-Gautier

Dr. Ludovic Troian-Gautier received his B.S. (2008), M.S (2010) and Ph.D. in chemistry (2014) from the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB – Belgium) where he focused on the development of novel transition metal complexes for opto-electronic applications with Prof. C. Moucheron and Prof. A. Kirsch-De Mesmaeker. He then undertook post-doctoral research at X4C, a new start-up, where he worked with Prof. I. Jabin and Dr. A. Mattiuzzi on surface modification using calix[4]arene derivatives. At the end of 2015, he was awarded the Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF) fellowship, followed by the Bourse d’Excellence WBI.World (2016-2018) to undertake postdoctoral research with Prof. Gerald J. Meyer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). In April 2017, he joined the UNC Energy Frontier Research Center, the Alliance for Molecular PhotoElectrode Design for Solar Fuels (AMPED EFRC, directed by Pr. Thomas J. Meyer and Pr. Gerald J. Meyer), where he focused on the development of novel molecular photocatalysts and their use in the development of novel photoelectrodes that in turn can generate so-called “solar fuels”. In May 2019, he started a Chargé de Recherches position (FNRS) at ULB where he worked on energy related challenges. As of October 2021, he continues his research endeavor on energy related challenges as Collaborateur Scientifique at the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain).

Outside of the lab, he enjoy sports (football, swimming, yoga, axe throwing), traveling, hiking, cooking, brewing and drinking beers!

 

 

Read his Emerging Investigator article “Mechanistic investigation of a visible light mediated dehalogenation/cyclisation reaction using iron(iii), iridium(iii) and ruthenium(ii) photosensitizers” and read more about his in the interview below:

How do you feel about Catalysis Science & Technology as a place to publish?

I feel particularly grateful to have been given the chance to participate to the special Emerging Investigator Series. As Catalysis Science & Technology is a premium venue that appeals to everyone interested in catalysis, broadly speaking, this offers a unique opportunity to reach the entire catalysis community.

What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

I’m very excited to be able to pursue research in collaboration with extremely talented scientists. I’m also looking forward to continuing studying Iron photosensitizers in the broad field of homogeneous and heterogeneous photocatalysis. The most challenging part about research is probably to get enough funding to pursue all my crazy ideas.

In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

I’m interested in the “why?” and the “how?”. Those are the two questions that I ask on a daily basis. I’m particularly interested in seeking answers to why photocatalysts/photoreactions are behaving the way they do, and how can we control and tune them to reach more efficient and optimized transformations.

Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

Be kind and surround yourself with collaborators that support you and challenge you to always give the best of yourself and constantly improve. Be patient with others and with yourself, especially when facing rejections (there are unfortunately many).

Keep up to date with Ludo and his research by following his Twitter @LudoTroian

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