Benjamin List

Catalysis is an incredibly fascinating science. In the development of catalysts, which pave the way for the conversion of substrates into a desired product, man comes as close to magic as is possible. This is because the catalyst, this small molecular tool, is not consumed in the process. And so even very small amounts of it are enough to convert tons of starting materials into active ingredients for medicines or fragrances for the perfume industry – and with extremely low energy consumption. And even though chemists have been conducting catalysis research for more than 100 years, there is still a lot to do. After all, catalysis is not only a wonderful concept, but also a very important technology – perhaps even the most important technology for mankind.

Benjamin List, born in 1968 in Frankfurt a. M., studied chemistry at the Free University of Berlin and obtained his doctorate at the University of Frankfurt a. M. He has been Director of the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Mülheim an der Ruhr since 2005 and Honorary Professor at the University of Cologne since 2004. In 2021, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with David W. C. MacMillan for his work on asymmetric catalysis.