1.7 million euros for chemist at Münster University

German Research Foundation funds Manuel van Gemmeren via Emmy Noether Programme / Establishment of a research group for developing new synthetic methods Dr. Manuel van Gemmeren, a chemist, convinced with his science: The German Research Foundation (DFG) funds the junior scientist from the University of Münster with almost 1.7 million euros as part of the Emmy Noether Programme. This will enable him to set up his own research group at the Institute of Organic Chemistry over the next six years. The 34-year-old investigates so-called C-H functionalizations that can directly convert carbon-hydrogen bonds into more complex structures. Such resource-saving synthetic methods are relevant, among other things, for the transition to sustainable energy systems and chemical value chains based on renewable resources. Manuel van Gemmeren and his research group, which will initially consist of four researchers, want to study new catalysts and concepts in order to develop efficient synthetic methods with which organic molecules such as drugs, pesticides, or parts of functional materials can be produced. The organic chemist has been conducting research at Münster University since 2016, so far in cooperation with the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion in Mülheim an der Ruhr. "For me as a junior researcher, being accepted into the Emmy Noether Programme is an outstanding honour and a decisive step on the way to my own university professorship," stresses Manuel van Gemmeren.