We’re excited to announce the four recipients of our 2024 Young Talents Fellowship, who will begin their Master’s theses within our member groups in 2024 and 2025. Congratulations and welcome to our network, Aline, Shaipranesh, Nadiia, and Julia!

Aline Hartgers, from Belgium, studies Mathematical Engineering at KU Leuven, and will join Prof. Kjell Jorner’s group at ETH Zürich.
Shaipranesh Senthilkumar, from India, studies Computer Science & Chemistry at BITS Pilani and will join Prof. Philippe Schwaller’s group at EPFL.
Nadiia Vorontsova, from Ukraine, studies Chemistry at the University of Geneva, where she will join Prof. Ross Milton's group.
Julia Ravagnani, from Italy and France, studies Sustainable Chemical Engineering at EPFL and will join Prof. Gonzalo Guillén-Gosálbez's group at ETH Zurich.
The Young Talents Fellowship supports students with exceptional academic records and diverse backgrounds. It provides them with the opportunity to conduct a Master’s thesis project in a research group associated with NCCR Catalysis and establish their connections and ideas in a multidisciplinary, cross-fertilizing environment of research excellence. This initiative to promote fair representation in catalysis research was launched in 2022.

Team portrait, from left to right: Andrea Ruiz-Ferrando, Dr. Javier Heras-Domingo, and Dr. Adam Clark.In March, two researchers from ICIQ in Spain came to PSI and ETH Zurich, Switzerland for a one-week lab exchange supported through the NCCR Catalysis Catalyzer Program. Meet Andrea Ruiz-Ferrando and Dr. Javier Heras-Domingo, who share their impressions from their exchange hosted by Dr. Adam Clark, and their experiences on bridging the gap between experimental and computational groups!

Hi Andrea and Javi, could you tell us about yourselves and your research within NCCR Catalysis?Andrea: I hold a degree in chemistry and have been a PhD student in the group of Prof. Núria López at ICIQ since 2020. My research is centered on the fascinating realm of single-atom catalysts within the domain of theoretical chemistry. Specifically, I delve into finding experimentally guided synthesis-structure-property relationships inherent to these catalytic systems. What makes my work particularly exciting is the interdisciplinary nature of my approach: I collaborate with experimentalists, bridging the gap between theory and practice. I enjoy engaging in social activities, whether it’s exploring new places or meeting new people, and the lab exchange was a great opportunity for this.Javi: Originally from Barcelona, I completed my PhD in Computational Chemistry at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. My academic journey then took me to the United States, where I spent three enriching years at Carnegie Mellon University for my first postdoctoral researcher position. During this time, I collaborated with Facebook AI to dive into data science and deep learning approaches applied to chemistry and, in particular, to heterogeneous catalysis. Nowadays, I’m a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Núria López’s research group, focusing on pushing the boundaries of characterization techniques leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI), with the aim to extract more quantitative data that will help to design better catalysts with tailored properties.Javi, Andrea and Adam in front of PSI’s Swiss Light Source facilities (left), and Javi and Adam discussing their project (right).How did the collaboration between the López, Pérez-Ramírez groups and Dr. Adam Clark emerge, and what insights have you gained from this collaboration?Javi: The smart characterization research line originated from a collaborative effort between Prof. Núria López’s group at ICIQ, Prof. Javier Pérez-Ramírez at ETH Zurich, and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), implementing a deep learning model to detect single-atom catalysts via electron microscopy back in the pandemic. Our current project, a collaboration between ICIQ, ETH, and PSI, aims to enhance catalyst design through advanced characterization strategies, leveraging automated data generation and AI in synchrotron-based techniques like XANES (X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure) and EXAFS (Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure). This approach promises advancements in catalysis, with far-reaching socio-economic impacts.You recently did a one-week lab exchange at PSI and ETH Zurich, Switzerland. How has this exchange benefited you as researchers and the project?Javi: The Catalyzer Program we recently participated in has proven to be an invaluable asset for advancing our current research project. During an intensive one-week laboratory exchange, we gained profound insights into the intricacies of extracting data from EXAFS spectra. This hands-on experience has significantly enriched our understanding, placing us in a much stronger position to incorporate AI into enhancing this technique. The knowledge and techniques acquired through this program have not only bolstered our research capabilities but also opened new avenues for innovation in applying AI to improve data analysis and extraction methods in our field.Andrea, Adam, and Javi having dinner with Dr. Olga Safonova, NCCR Catalysis Principal Investigator at PSI (left), and Javi and Andrea meeting with Vera Giulimondi and Dr. Sharon Mitchell from the group of NCCR Catalysis Director Prof. Javier Pérez-Ramírez at ETH Zurich (right).What advice would you give other early-career researchers on collaborations and exchanges between labs?Andrea: Forge fruitful collaborations by actively seeking shared interests and laying the foundation with ontologies - the common language that ensures effective communication. Embrace diverse perspectives to collaboratively define the project's scope and determine the correct methodology for seamless progress. Be adaptable to changes and uncertainties, cultivating a collaborative mindset that views differences as opportunities for collective growth. Ensure the adoption of an integrative approach right from the outset, emphasizing a cooperative evolution of the project. This proactive stand prevents potential misconceptions and exploits synergistic relationships across research groups.What will be the next steps in your collaboration?Andrea & Javi: The next phase of our collaboration is set to significantly enhance our AI method by integrating experimental data. This pivotal step will not only broaden the method’s applicability but also ensure its robustness in predicting outcomes in experimental environments. Such a move is essential, as relying solely on theoretical data limits our understanding and the potential for real-world applications. Incorporating experimental insights will equip our AI approach with a much-needed depth, making it a more general and powerful tool for navigating the complexities of experimental conditions.Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We wish you and your colleagues the very best for your project.
Learn more about Andrea’s research here and here, and connect with her on Twitter/X and LinkedIn. Learn more about Javier’s research here and here, and connect with him on Twitter/X and LinkedIn.

For our second Trailblazers feature, meet Dr. Anastasiia Komarova (she/her) from EPFL in the group of Prof. Jeremy Luterbacher! She has been working across three continents with the goal of engineering a greener future in chemistry. During her PhD studies, she filed three patents and received several awards.Hi Anastasiia, could you tell us about yourself and your research within NCCR Catalysis?
With pleasure! I am a PhD researcher at Jeremy Luterbacher’s group at EPFL. My research, supported by NCCR Catalysis, focuses on developing a novel class of green solvents from non-edible lignocellulosic biomass. Imagine starting with something as simple as corn cobs in the flask – and then watching the magic of chemistry unfold to create valuable nature-inspired chemical products! Our new solvents offer a renewable alternative to traditional toxic and fossil-derived counterparts. We now see growing interest in our solvents from industry and research institutions as they shift toward more sustainable practices. That’s why we’ve recently scaled up solvent production to a multi-kg scale to ensure everyone can get a sample to try! Outside the lab, you might find me playing the keys in the music band or hitting tennis balls – activities that keep my creative energies flowing!Anastasiia showcasing a novel green solvent made from biomass at EPFL (left) and performing with her band at Fécule Festival in 2023 organized by the University of Lausanne (right).What made you consider a career in science, and what/who got you interested in science in the first place?As a teenager, I enjoyed chemistry, biology, and math classes - though I wasn't the quintessential science geek. When figuring out what to do after high school, I sought advice from my family. Most of them said something like, “Pick anything but what I do for a living”. The only exceptions were my uncle and aunt, both brilliant scientists, who advised me to “go for science like we did! Do chemistry; it’s really cool!”. I've never regretted this choice and am grateful to them for inspiring my career path in science!Where are you from and what is your background?
I was born and raised in Siberia, Russia. After highschool, I enrolled in a prestigious and competitive Chemistry program at Novosibirsk State University in Akademgorodok, a unique place surrounded by Siberian nature and renowned research institutions just outside the bustling city of Novosibirsk. During my studies, I worked with scientists from these institutions to complete both my Bachelor’s and Master’s theses. I was a proactive student and seized every opportunity to gain new experience. This drive first led me to explore the academic world in Europe (Italy), and then in the USA, where I worked for a while as a researcher. Inspired by these international experiences, I decided to pursue a PhD position abroad and ultimately chose EPFL in Switzerland! To me, Lausanne has a somewhat similar vibe to the one I experienced in Akadem: collaborative, friendly, and intellectually vibrant.What value has NCCR Catalysis brought to you as an early-career researcher?
NCCR Catalysis opened the door for me to a unique community of leading experts across various branches of chemistry. This opportunity allowed me to find key collaborators for my doctoral project. Together, we elevated this work to new heights, something I couldn't have achieved on my own. Plus, presenting my research at several NCCR Catalysis Annual Meetings was a fantastic experience. I got a ton of helpful feedback, won the best talk prize once, and made valuable connections in my field.Anastasiia presenting at the NCCR Catalysis Annual Retreat 2022 (left), where she received a best talk prize, awarded by Dr. Sharon Mitchell, Program Advisor, and Prof. Jérôme Waser, Co-Director (right). © NCCR CatalysisDuring your doctoral degree, you had three patents granted. Could you tell us about this experience, and how it enriched your studies?
Patenting your inventions is very exciting! It means that the technology or product you are developing has practical value and might one day hit the market. The patenting process, though, is quite complex and vastly different from writing a research article. Fortunately, I wasn’t alone on this journey. I received a lot of support from our Technology Transfer Office on campus, and I even took a course offered by EPFL to learn more about what patent attorneys usually do. This experience was a valuable part of my doctoral studies and also revealed an interesting alternative career path for researchers in STEM like myself.What advice would you give other female early-career researchers in STEM?
Networking, networking, and once again… networking! Join events, conferences, and mentorship programs where you can connect with industry experts and great scientists. Learn how to effectively communicate your research to people with different backgrounds - you can even practice with your grandparents or younger siblings! Don’t be afraid of changing your research area as you transition from the Bachelor’s to Master’s and then to the PhD level. But always prioritize finding the right advisor and supportive work environment over the specific research project. Above all, be kind to yourself and trust your intuition!Anastasiia presenting her NCCR Catalysis work (left) and receiving the Runner-up Award for Best Oral Presentation in Catalysis Sciences & Engineering from the Swiss Chemical Society at the Fall Meeting 2023, awarded by Markus Steinke, representative of Metrohm (right). © Swiss Chemical SocietyYou recently obtained your doctoral degree - congratulations! What will be your next adventure?
Thank you! Right after passing my PhD defense, I embarked on my next adventure by flying to an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to rest and reflect on what I wanted to do next. After completing PhD, you have so many options! I am flexible and open to all opportunities, from continuing in academia as a postdoc to making a leap to industry jobs in R&D or process development. Additionally, here in Switzerland, there's a plethora of startup companies. Why not consider joining one or even founding a new one? 😊Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We wish you the very best for your next steps.
Learn more about Anastasiia’s research here and connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram.

We’re kicking off the NCCR Catalysis Trailblazers series on exceptional individuals breaking barriers and making waves in research! On International Women's Day, meet Alessandra Toniato (she/her), a PhD researcher at IBM Research in Dr. Teodoro Laino’s team. In her ~3.5 years of doctoral research, she contributed to over seven publications and became a mother twice.Hi Alessandra, could you tell us about yourself and your research within NCCR Catalysis?
Sure! There is only one thing I like to discuss more than my work - my kids! In the context of NCCR Catalysis, I am a PhD researcher leveraging AI to solve complex chemical problems. In particular, I have been working extensively on data curation and retrosynthesis, the crucial task of inferring the building blocks needed to obtain a target compound.

Alessandra at the NCCR Catalysis Annual Event 2022 (left) and Y3 Annual Review Meeting 2023 (right). © NCCR CatalysisWhat made you consider a career in science, and who got you interested in science in the first place?
When we make our choices, we are all influenced by our heroes. I have always had a strong bond with my parents. While my mother taught me how important it is for a woman to work, my dad got me into science. He is a mechanical engineer, and I have always dreamed of becoming like him. “L’uomo buono desidera conoscere” (The good man desires to know) he frequently says. Instead of buying a new dishwasher, he tries to fix the old one just to determine which was the problem.During your doctoral studies, you became a mother twice. How have you balanced work and family duties, and how did your environment support you?
It was not trivial. The balance between work and family is not stable. There are periods in which it is easier and others in which you need to hand in a project while your child is sick. In these moments, the support of my husband was and is crucial: we split the fatigue. On top of that, my manager was always sensitive to the situation: I never had to stick to fixed working hours or on-site work. Taking the kids to the doctor was never a problem.
When I became a mum, I knew that sending my children to the Kita (daycare center) was an investment for their social development and my career. Still, the Kita cost in Switzerland for two kids is more than my net salary. Thanks to the NCCR Flexibility Grant, I was able to alleviate that cost.
It is absurd how little support families (women) receive in the most challenging years of parenthood.

What advice would you give other female early-stage researchers regarding parenthood?
First, don’t wait for the perfect moment to have a family. If you desire it, just do it. Once you are in, you will find time for everything. And second, be clear about your priorities. Of course, you will not be able to work overtime, but this does not mean you cannot do your job. You will always feel as if you are not working enough or spending enough time with your kids: that’s normal; it’s part of the game.
But remember, no perfect mum or situation exists.

Alessandra and colleagues of the RXN for Chemistry Project Team received the 2022 Sandmeyer Award from the Swiss Chemical Society at the Swiss Chemistry Science Night 2022. © Swiss Chemical SocietyYou recently obtained your doctoral degree - congratulations! What will be your next adventure?
Thank you! I still haven’t realized it yet! I am open to different opportunities, possibly still in the technical field of Artificial Intelligence. My only condition for my future job is flexibility: I love to be a mum and spend time with my kids, and I will not renounce this. I believe the world is slowly understanding that it is not important how many hours you stay in the office, but how you work.Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We wish you the very best for your next steps.
Learn more about Alessandra’s research here and connect with her on Twitter/X and LinkedIn.

Team portrait, from left to right: Manu Suvarna, Prof. Javier Pérez-Ramírez, Dr. Sharon Mitchell, Dr. Teodoro Laino, Dr. Alain Claude Vaucher. © Javier Pérez-Ramírez

In a recent collaborative publication, a team of experimental and computational experts from two NCCR Catalysis member groups have explored language models and protocol standardization guidelines to speed up synthesis planning for heterogeneous catalysts. Learn more about the work from Manu Suvarna, Dr. Sharon Mitchell and Prof. Javier Pérez-Ramírez (aCe lab, ETHZ) and Dr. Alain Vaucher and Dr. Teodoro Laino (IBM Research Zurich)!

Can you briefly introduce the concept of the project and your role?
Manu: Our project aimed at developing an automated pipeline via machine learning (ML) for the extraction of experimental synthesis procedures of single atom heterogeneous catalysts (SACs) from published literature. We used the compiled data to statistically analyze trends in SAC synthesis procedure. Eventually, based on the learning experience through the project, we identified current limitations in the way SAC-based synthesis procedures are reported, and provided guidelines to write them effectively in machine readable formats. As a PhD researcher, I wore various hats during the project, but my most important role was to translate a catalysis-oriented task into an ML problem, and serve as a bridge for exchange of insights and inferences between the two communities.

How did the collaboration between ML experts and experimental researchers come about?
Teo: The collaboration between ML experts and experimental researchers was a seamless interaction of individuals fluent in different languages - algorithms and empirical experimentation. This partnership thrived on a constant feedback loop, where ML insights informed experimental design and vice versa, elevating the quality of our research. Manu played a pivotal role by fostering curiosity and openness to learning from the ML perspective, creating an environment where diverse viewpoints flourished. This collaboration exemplifies the power of NCCR Catalysis and consequently of interdisciplinary teamwork in driving innovative breakthroughs at the intersection of technology and empirical research.

How did your experience working with experimental researchers help advance your text mining model?
Alain: The model's success was determined by its usefulness for the experimental researchers, not merely by its numerical performance. As such, we focused on tweaking the model to effectively extract what is relevant in SAC syntheses. With Manu's valuable insights, we identified and iteratively refined the model's weaknesses, ensuring it evolved to meet the precise needs of experimental researchers in this domain.

Were there any unexpected challenges that arose during the collaboration, and how did you address them?
Manu: From a technical point of view, the biggest challenge we faced was the impact of lack of data standards on model performance. Based on our experience through this project, we believe that current catalysis and chemistry literature may not be sufficiently ready to capitalize on all the benefits of language models and ML tools. In our study, we address these limitations by recommending guidelines for protocol standardization to improve machine readability. As Teo mentioned earlier, this was made possible by working in an environment where we seamlessly exchanged knowledge and shared our learning curves, to come up with an innovative solution by leveraging our respective expertise in experimental catalysis and ML.

What message or insight do you hope readers take away from your collaborative work?
Sharon: A significant takeaway is the need for experimentalists to reconsider traditional approaches in reporting synthetic protocols. In light of the crucial aspect of reproducibility of experimental results, embracing machine readable formats, like tables submitted as data files alongside articles, could greatly facilitate the integration of ML approaches to accelerate research.

Where do you see the intersection of ML and experimental research heading in the field of heterogeneous catalysis?
Teo & Manu: ML algorithms are increasingly being employed to predict catalytic properties, optimize catalyst designs, and accelerate the discovery of novel materials. The intersection of the two fields will lead to the creation of better datasets, predictive models, which will help researchers identify promising catalysts, reducing time and costs involved in experimentation. However, the field is still in its infancy and there is significant potential for the greater adoption of data-driven workflows in routine experimental works with enormous implications for chemical industry and the environment.

What role has NCCR Catalysis played in developing this work?
Javier: When we conceived NCCR Catalysis at the end of the last decade, we dreamed of studies like this one, at the interface of experimental and digital catalysis. With a cutting-edge program embracing experts in different domains, the dream has become a reality.

Publication details:
Language models and protocol standardization guidelines for accelerating synthesis planning in heterogeneous catalysis. M. Suvarna, A.C. Vaucher, S. Mitchell, T. Laino, J. Pérez-Ramírez. Nat. Commun. 2023, 14, 7964. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43836-5.

We’re excited to announce the six recipients of our 2023 Young Talents Fellowship, who will conduct their Master theses within our member groups in fall 2023 and spring 2024. Congratulations and welcome to our network, Daphne, Christian, Iris, Gabriel, Till and Pol!

Daphne Lucidarme from Belgium studies chemistry at the University of Antwerp and will join the group of Prof. Jérôme Waser at EPFL.
Christian Zachau from Germany studies Chemistry at Freie Universität Berlin, and will join the group of Prof. Bill Morandi at ETH Zurich
Iris Nogueroles Langa from Spain studies Chemical and Bioengineering at ETH Zurich, and will join Prof. Javier Pérez-Ramírez's group at ETH Zurich
Gabriel Chaves Cathoud Pinheiro from Brazil studies Informatics and Engineering at the University of Coimbra in Portugal and will join Prof. Kjell Jorner's group at ETH Zurich.
Till Schreyer from Germany studies Chemistry at the University of Heidelberg, and will join Prof. Cristina Nevado's group at University of Zurich
Pol Gorrea Acin from Spain studies Chemistry at EPFL, and will join Prof. Xile Hu’s group at EPFL

The Young Talents Fellowship supports students with an exceptional academic record and diverse backgrounds. It provides them with the opportunity to conduct a master thesis project in a research group associated with NCCR Catalysis, and to establish their connections and ideas in a multidisciplinary, cross-fertilizing environment of research excellence. This initiative to promote fair representation in catalysis research was launched in 2022. Further editions will be announced on the link below and our social media channels.

We are thrilled to announce the recipients of our first edition of the NCCR Catalysis Turbo Grants! This entrepreneurship program supports early-stage spin-offs in the area of sustainable chemistry and catalysis. All spin-offs are rooted in NCCR Catalysis labs, and this grant enables the researchers to dedicate their time to transitioning their research into a start-up.

We were impressed by the quality of the applications, and are glad to announce the three teams who received a 2023 Turbo Grant:

Jan Weinreich from the group of Clémence Corminboeuf at EPFL is working in the area of digital chemistry.
Benedikt Winter and Johannes Schilling from the Group of André Bardow at ETH are working in the area of digital chemistry. Since being selected, they have onboarded a third co-founder, Carl Hemprich.
Tobias Vornholt from the Thomas Ward group at UniBasel is working in the area of biocatalysis.
Congratulations to the recipients, and we're thrilled to support you as you work on your spin-offs!

The 2023 SCNAT Platform Chemistry Ethics Series at ETH Zurich is organized by SCNAT, ETH Zurich, and its Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, D-CHAB. With the union of the doctorate students, postdocs, and scientific staff of D-CHAB, VAC, and the Society for Women in Natural Sciences, WiNS, NCCR Catalysis supports this year’s workshop on Recognizing and Overcoming Bias.

The opening talks are given by Prof. Lee Penn, University of Minnesota (“Images as Representations of Reality”) and Kaila Yallum, UniBe (“Implicit Bias in Experimental Research”). Prof. Lee Penn will then address “How to Overcome Implicit Bias Everyday”, followed by interactive discussions.

We have the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Fernando Gomollón-Bel for a science communication seminar on Beyond publishing papers: learn some Sci Comm tips and tricks. Fer is a well-known science communicator in the field of chemistry and materials, and co-founder of Agatha Communications, a small science communication agency based in the UK.
The seminar is open to all, and you can still sign up here.

On March 27-29 2023, NCCR Catalysis held its Annual Retreat in Lucerne, Switzerland. We welcomed 150 members of our network and spent three exciting days filled with sustainable chemistry research presented by our talents, brainstorming on program activities and exchanges. It was wonderful to have our second network-wide meeting, and to connect in person!



We heard excellent presentations by the 2022 Young Talents Fellowship recipients, and talks and posters by PhD students and researchers across all five WPs. We're excited to announce the following awards:

Best Talks: Andrea Ruiz, Lopez group, ICIQ and Kevin Rossi, Pérez-Ramírez group, ETH Zurich; Ludovic Zaza, Buonsanti group, EPFL and Bojana Ranković, Schwaller group, EPFL
Best Poster: Maxime Hedou, Marti group, HES-SO
Best Poster Runner-Ups: Nieves Ramirez, Waser group, EPFL; Sebastiano D’Angelo, Guillén-Gosálbez group, ETH Zurich; and Stephan Pollitt, Nachtegaal/Safonova group, PSI
Congratulations to all awardees and many thanks to all participants for making this a fantastic community-wide event!

In March 2023, we launched our spin-off support program, the NCCR Catalysis Turbo Grant. With this initiative, we support research projects as they transition into a start-up company, and provide budding entrepreneurs with one year’s salary as they further develop their prototype, business plan, and assess the market. During the grant period, they are hosted in one of our NCCR Catalysis member labs, integrated as members of our network, and supported by our Project Office.

We are excited to release a statement by NCCR Catalysis Director Prof. Javier Pérez-Ramírez from the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences at ETH Zurich. He explains why we need to switch to sustainable chemicals production urgently, addresses our program's role in this endeavor, and how we integrate sustainability into our approach. Learn more in the video!

Arnold (Abel) Gimeno joined our Project Office team in February as Administrative Assistant. He has extensive international experience in dealing with administrative matters. Welcome to the team, Abel!

Prof. Kjell Jorner was appointed in May 2022 as Assistant Professor of Digital Chemistry at ETH Zurich’s Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences. He fills one of the three Assistant Professorship positions at ETH Zurich and EPFL embedded in NCCR Catalysis. We’re pleased to finally welcome you to our network and we wish you a great start, Kjell!

Romain Graux joined our Project Office team in January as Data Officer. He recently completed his master's degree in Data Science, and his expertise in this field will be instrumental in advancing our organization's data-driven initiatives. Welcome to the team, Romain!

The 2022 re-launch of the SCNAT Platform Chemistry Ethics Series at EPFL was organized by SCNAT, EPFL, EDCH (its doctoral program in chemistry and chemical engineering), and NCCR Catalysis.
The event started with talks by Prof. Edward Constable (president of the Swiss Academies' Committee for Research Integrity, Prof. University of Basel) and Prof. Antonio Togni (former Vice Rector for Doctoral Studies, Prof. em. ETH Zurich) on "Surely it doesn’t apply to me? Equating integrity with best practice"and "Orchestrating relevance: A questionable trait of modern publication culture", respectively, moderated by Prof. Jérôme Waser from EPFL, substituting for Prof. Shana Sturla from ETH Zurich. The speakers and panelists then led interactive discussion rounds, on which participants reported to the plenary. The afternoon concluded with an apéro.
The organizers included Prof. Shana Sturla and Dr. Leo Merz, SCNAT; Prof. Berend Smit and Anne Lene Odegaard, EPFL and EDCH; and Dr. Marie Francine Lagadec, NCCR Catalysis.

We’re excited to announce the six recipients of our 2022 Young Talents Fellowship, who will conduct their Master theses within our member groups in fall 2022/spring 2023. Congratulations and welcome to our network, Morgane, Layth, Gabriela, Nicolas, Gloria and Adrián!

Morgane Delattre from France studies Organic Chemistry at CPE Lyon, and is an exchange student at EPFL, where she joined the group of Prof. Jieping Zhu.
Layth Alama from Palestine studies Chemistry at the Free University of Berlin, and will join Prof. Nicolai Cramer’s group at EPFL.
Gabriela Dutcă from Romania studies Chemical Engineering at the University of Groningen, and joined Prof. Javier Pérez-Ramírez’s group at ETH Zurich.
Nicolas Imstepf from Switzerland studies Life Sciences at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, ZHAW, and joined the group of Prof. Rebecca Buller at ZHAW.
Gloria Candy Danielle Sedoh from Togo studies Chemistry at the University of Geneva, and joined the groups of Prof. Ross Milton at University of Geneva and Prof. Kevin Sivula at EPFL.
Adrián Sager La Ganga from Spain studies Computational Science & Engineering at EPFL, and joined Dr. Teodoro Laino’s group at IBM Research.
The Young Talents Fellowship supports students with an exceptional academic record and diverse backgrounds. It provides them with the opportunity to conduct a master thesis project in a research group associated with NCCR Catalysis, and to establish their connections and ideas in a multidisciplinary, cross-fertilizing environment of research excellence. This initiative to promote fair representation in catalysis research was launched in 2022. Further editions will be announced on the link below and our social media channels.

The 2022 re-launch of the SCNAT Platform Chemistry Ethics Series at ETH Zurich was organized by SCNAT, ETH Zurich and its Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, D-CHAB. Together with the union of the doctorate students, postdocs and scientific staff of D-CHAB, VAC and of the Society for Women in Natural Sciences, WiNS, NCCR Catalysis supported this year’s workshop on responsible conduct of research.
The event started with talks by Prof. Edward Constable (president of the Swiss Academies' Committee for Research Integrity, Prof. University of Basel) and Prof. Antonio Togni (former Vice Rector for Doctoral Studies, Prof. em. ETHZ) on "Surely it doesn’t apply to me? Equating integrity with best practice" and "Orchestrating relevance: A questionable trait of modern publication culture", respectively, moderated by Prof. Shana Sturla. The speakers and panelists from VAC, WiNS and NCCR Catalysis then led interactive discussion rounds, on which participants reported to the plenary. The evening concluded with an apéro.
The organizers included Prof. Shana Sturla and Dr. Leo Merz, SCNAT; Prof. Christophe Copéret, D-CHAB; Moritz Bernhardt, VAC; Dr. Monika Colombo, WiNS; and Dr. Marie Francine Lagadec, NCCR Catalysis.

On June 9-10 2022, NCCR Catalysis held its first Annual Event at ETH Zurich, Campus Hönggerberg. We welcomed 145 members of our network and spent two exciting days filled with catalysis and sustainable chemistry research presented by our talents. It was a wonderful to have our first physical meeting after 22 months of operation, and to connect in person!
We saw excellent presentations and posters by PhD students and researchers across all five WPs and are excited to announce the following awards:

Best Talk: Anastasiia Komarova, Luterbacher group, EPFL
Runner Up Talks: Thomas Moragues, deMello group, ETH Zurich and Mojmir Mutny, Krause group, ETH Zurich
Best Poster: Alessandra Toniato, Laino group, IBM Research Zurich
Runner Up Posters: Ludovic Zaza, Buonsanti group, EPFL and Lukas Spiekermann, Bardow group, ETH Zurich
Congratulations to all awardees and many thanks to all participants for making this a fantastic community-wide event!

We had a great time shooting a video with the teams of Prof. Javier Pérez-Ramírez and Prof. Gonzalo Guillén-Gosálbez from ETH Zurich on their NCCR Catalysis study on sustainability assessments of chemicals production, and are excited to see it released!
The teams investigated whether the production of the 492 most relevant chemicals is sustainable with respect to transgression of planetary boundaries. In this NCCR Catalysis study, they found that 99.4% of these chemicals exceed at least one such boundary, which makes them unsustainable in the long term. Learn more about their findings in the video and the publication!

We're excited to launch a short animation to introduce NCCR Catalysis to the broad public and to make our research accessible beyond the catalysis community.

Learn more about our program in English, German and French!

Prof. Raffaella Buonsanti, Core PI at EPFL and Work Package 3 Coordinator at NCCR Catalysis, was recently promoted to Associate Professor, and received an ERC Consolidator Grant. She works on the development of novel synthetic routes to tailor-make multifunctional hybrid materials, based on atomically defined colloidal nanocrystals, and on control of structure and composition at multiple length-scales, driven by a fundamental understanding of the chemical transformations driving nucleation, growth and assembly.
Prof. Bill Morandi, Associate PI at ETH Zurich, was promoted to Full Professor and is Head of the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry. He works on the development of innovative synthetic methodologies for applications across the molecular sciences, with a particular interest in establishing new concepts in catalysis.
Congratulations on these big career steps, Raffaella and Bill!

In this seminar, the NCCR Catalysis Project Office will present the program's strategy for fulfilling SNSF's requirements on data sets and publications. Prof. Nicola Marzari, NCCR Catalysis Associate PI from EPFL, will give an outlook on data accessibility and re-usability, which will be followed by demonstrations on how to upload data sets to the Zenodo and Materials Cloud Archive repositories, and a Q&A session.
This event on February 17 2022 is for NCCR Catalysis members.

Ajdin Zekjiri joined our Project Office as Administrative Assistant in February, and is our team's contact point for administrative matters. He is a part-time student in Linguistic Integration at ZHAW. Welcome to the team, Ajdin!

The Swiss Green & Sustainable Chemistry Award was implemented by the Swiss Chemical Society in collaboration with Syngenta as founding partner and SusChem Switzerland as hosting institution. The award recognizes young academic investigators to contribute to the development of sustainable chemical methodologies and technologies, and targets professors, who have made outstanding scientific discoveries within the field of Green & Sustainable Chemistry. Prof. Xile Hu, Core PI at EPFL, received the Swiss Green & Sustainable Chemistry Award 2022 for his interdisciplinary research to develop catalysis for sustainable synthesis of added-value chemicals and for cost-effective production of solar and electric fuels. Congratulations, Xile!

The Sandmeyer Award by the Swiss Chemical Society is presented to a team or an individual for outstanding work in the field of industrial or applied chemistry. The IBM RXN for Chemistry Project Team - including NCCR Catalysis members Dr. Alain Vaucher, Dr. Daniel Probst, Dr. Philippe Schwaller, Theophile Gaudin, Alessandra Toniato and Core PI Dr. Teodoro Laino - was awarded the Sandmeyer Award 2022, which recognizes their contributions towards the digitalization of synthetic organic chemistry. Congratulations to all team members!

Prof. Maksym Kovalenko, Core PI at ETH Zurich, and Prof. Xile Hu, Core PI at EPFL, ranked among the top 1% of cited researcher in Clarivate’s 2021 list of Highly Cited Researchers. Congratulations, Maksym and Xile!

The Ryoji Noyori Prize by Takasago International Corporation and administered by the Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan recognizes outstanding contributions to research in asymmetric synthetic chemistry defined in its broadest sense. Prof. Erick M. Carreira, Core PI at ETH Zurich, was awarded the Ryoji Noyori Prize 2021 in recognition of his contributions in various areas, including natural products synthesis, methodology, asymmetric catalysis, medicinal chemistry, and chemical biology. Congratulations, Erick!

The Rössler Prize by ETH Zurich is awarded to promising young scientists in the middle of an accelerating career. Prof. Andreas Krause, Core PI at ETH Zurich, was awarded both ETH Zurich’s Rössler Prize recognising him as a rising star in his field of research, and a Max Planck Fellowship for his research in the field of machine learning. As a Max Planck fellow, he will supervise a research group focussing on interactive learning. Congratulations, Andreas!

The Swiss Summer School 2021: Catalysis and Sustainable Chemistry is co-organized by the Swiss Chemical Society and NCCR Catalysis, and will take place from September 5-9 2021 in Les Diablerets, Switzerland. The Swiss Summer School 2021 offers an interactive program with input lectures by experts from academia and industry, poster sessions, student presentations, and guest-lectures on topics of general interest. Interested? You can find more information and register here.

The 2021 EFCATS Robert K. Grasselli Award for Catalysis honours outstanding theoretical and experimental contributions in the field of oxidation catalysis of the past five years that have advanced our understanding and practice of catalysis. Prof. Javier Pérez-Ramírez, Director of NCCR Catalysis, is the first recipient of this prestigious award. It recognises his discoveries that generated almost unlimited opportunities for innovation in the direct functionalization of natural gas involving halides, and led to better ways to make many key building blocks for the manufacture of chemicals, polymers, and fuels. Congratulations, Javier!
The award ceremony takes place on September 2, 2 PM CEST via the following link: https://s.ntnu.no/EFCATSawards.

Postdoctoral researcher Dr. Philippe Schwaller was appointed as Tenure-Track Assistant Professor at EPFL’s Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, filling one of the three Assistant Professorship positions at ETH Zurich and EPFL that are embedded in NCCR Catalysis. His appointment strengthens our network’s expertise in digital chemistry. Congratulations and welcome as a PI, Philippe!

With the European Inventor Award, the European Patent Office honours individual inventors and teams of inventors whose pioneering inventions provide answers to some of the biggest challenges of our times. Prof. Robert Grass, adjunct professor at ETH Zurich, and Prof. Wendelin J. Stark, Core PI at ETH Zurich, won the European Inventor Award 2021 for their work on stable data storage in glass-encapsulated DNA. When these beads are applied to products, they ensure that specific indicators - for example origin or working conditions - are traceable throughout the supply chain. Congratulations, Robert and Wendelin!

Lauren Gamp joined our Management Team as Knowledge and Technology Transfer (KTT) Officer in June, and is our program's point of contact for KTT and industry matters. For her master thesis on academia-industry relationships conducted at Hochschule Luzern, Lauren recently won the Swiss Wirtschaftsingenieure award. Welcome to the team and congratulations, Lauren!

The Coblentz Award by the Coblentz Society is presented annually to an outstanding young molecular spectroscopist under the age of 40. Prof. Sandra Luber, Associate PI at UZH where she was promoted to Associate Professor earlier this year, received the Coblentz Award 2021 for her work on molecular spectroscopy. Congratulations, Sandra!

The Summer School on Big Data and Machine Learning for Chemistry is co-organized by EPFL and ETHZ and co-sponsored by NCCR Catalysis, and will take place from June 7-9 2021 as a hybrid live/online event. The summer school will provide an overview on machine learning models through presentations and hands-on tutorials, and discussions on specific applications for computational chemistry, catalysis, and high-throughput screening. The speakers will give both theoretical and experimental perspectives, and the program targets chemists and chemical engineers. Interested? You can find more information and register here.

The Dan Maydan Prize is awarded yearly to emerging and outstanding young scientists from Israel or abroad for their significant academic accomplishments in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Prof. Maksym Kovalenko, a Core PI of NCCR Catalysis, received the 2021 Dan Maydan Prize for Nanoscience Research for his pioneering work on surface chemistry of nanocrystals and their use for electronic and optoelectronic devices, including batteries, photodetectors, thermo-​electrics, solar cells and light sources. Congratulations, Maksym!

The Heilbronner-Hückel Lecture Series is a joint initiative by the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker and the Swiss Chemical Society, and the annual series takes place alternatively in Switzerland and Germany. Prof. Clémence Corminboeuf, Core PI at EPFL, was awarded the Heilbronner-Hückel Lectureship Award 2021 and invited for a lecture tour in Germany. Her work focuses on electronic structure theory in method development, conceptual work applied to homogeneous catalysis and organic electronics and - more recently - models for machine learning. Congratulations, Clémence!

Prof. Jeremy S. Luterbacher, a Core PI of NCCR Catalysis and previously Tenure Track Assistant Professor at EPFL, was promoted to Associate Professor of Chemical Process Engineering in EPFL's School of Basic Sciences. He works on biomass conversion technologies including alternatives to oil for manufacturing plastics and other common chemicals. He has been awarded a number of prizes for his work in the field of chemical engineering, among them an ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Lectureship Award. Congratulations, Jeremy!

The Dr. Margaret Faul Award for Women in Chemistry is awarded to young woman within the first 15 years of their independent career in chemical research in recognition of their outstanding achievements in organic chemistry. Prof. Cristina Nevado, a Core PI of NCCR Catalysis, was awarded the Dr. Margaret Faul Award 2021 for the breadth and diversity of her work - spanning the development of new catalytic methods, important contributions in the synthesis of medicinally relevant natural products, and development of bioactive chemical probes. Congratulations, Cristina!

The ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science is awarded to an individual or team in recognition of their ground-breaking research in catalysis over the past seven years, and is cosponsored by the ACS Division of Catalysis Science and Technology (CATL) and ACS Catalysis. Prof. Thomas R. Ward, a Core PI of NCCR Catalysis, was awarded the 2021 ACS Catalysis Lectureship for his cross-disciplinary research approach on artificial metalloenzymes for organic synthesis - by merging organometallic catalysis with enzymatic catalysis - in living systems, which blurrs boundaries across fields of catalysis. Congratulations, Tom!

The Werner Prize by the Swiss Chemical Society is awarded to promising young scientists for outstanding independent chemical research. Prof. Raffaella Buonsanti, a Core PI and work package coordinator of NCCR Catalysis, was awarded the Werner Prize 2021 for her original and significant contributions in the chemistry development of tailored nanomaterials and their applications in catalysis, especially CO₂ electroreduction. Congratulations, Raffaella!

The NCCR Catalysis Project Office is now operative. It consists of Dr. Marie Francine Lagadec (Program Coordinator, ETHZ), Dr. Sharon Mitchell (Program Advisor, ETHZ), Annabelle Kin (Administrative and Finance Officer, ETHZ), and Dr. Sebastiaan Huber (Data Officer, EPFL).

We're delighted to announce the launch of the NCCR Catalysis, which is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, and hosted by ETHZ and EPFL. In the coming years, we will investigate new approaches to create carbon-neutral chemical value chains based on catalytic processes. At the contributing institutions - ETHZ, EPFL, HES-SO, IBM, UniBas, UniBe, UZH, ZHAW - more than 100 scientists are working towards shaping a digital-driven accelerated shift to develop future catalytic technologies, and to enable a renewable society with carbon-neutral chemical value chains.