Kemisk Institut KU - Dept. of Chemistry UCPH

Morten Meldal PhD fellowships in Chemistry
Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen

The Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, invites excellent, ingenious, and creative applicants for two PhD stipends in chemistry.

Application date for the stipends will be 1 February 2026. Start date is 1 August 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The PhD stipends will be available for PhD projects in all areas of experimental and theoretical chemistry at the Faculty of Science. This includes organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, nanochemistry, materials chemistry, food chemistry, chemical biology, biological chemistry, quantum chemistry, sustainable chemistry, environmental chemistry and analytical chemistry.

Who are we looking for?
We are looking for strong candidates within the broader field of Chemistry. Applicants should hold a MSc or a BSc degree related to one or more of the areas of experimental and theoretical chemistry listed above, with excellent results and good English language skills. Please note that if you expect to obtain a MSc degree before August 2026, but do not have it at the deadline of this call, you must apply for the integrated PhD program (option B).

The three criteria for the assessment of the applications will be 1) The excellence of the PhD candidate based on former performance at BSc and MSc level, 2) The academic originality and expected impact of the proposed project and 3) Implementation including the relevance of the supervisor host environment and the feasibility of the PhD project plan.

In order to develop a research proposal that can be supported at the Faculty of Science (SCIENCE), it is a requirement that you have made an agreement beforehand with a supervisor at one of the departments listed below; a letter of confirmation from the supervisor must be included in your application.

Read the full job post:
https://jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabelige-stillinger/?show=152404

Introduction to ”Find Your Supervisor”
“Find Your Supervisor” is a poster session event hosted by the Department of Chemistry, aimed at students enrolled at the department looking for a supervisor and research group for upcoming research projects, e.g., “projekt uden for kursusregi/project outside course scope (PUK)”, thesis preparation project (PREP), and Bachelor’s and Master’s theses. This includes, but is not limited to, BSc and MSc students in Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, and Nanoscience.

Research groups will present their research fields via a poster presentation, and students are encouraged to seek out various fields and groups of interest, ask questions, and engage in project discussions. You have time to visit several research groups during the event.

Pamflet
A pamphlet with information and introduction of the of the research will be produced and available as PDF and handed out at the event.

You will find the pamphlet from 2024 using the link below.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zlz9ipo7v70tnwkqn85ww/CHEM-Pamflet-version-25-11-24.pdf?rlkey=fb2ifskz1v0juxpmqlln32k1f&dl=0

Further, you can get an impression of the event by seeing this video from 2024.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/i3qqq7uol9je7tkmf48wf/FYS-version4.mp4?rlkey=ks5guueh444w5d6c88e3lp3pb&dl=0

Congratulations to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi “for the development of metal–organic frameworks." with being awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025.

The 2025 Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry have created molecular constructions with large spaces through which gases and other chemicals can flow. These constructions, metal–organic frameworks, can be used to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases or catalyse chemical reactions.
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2025/summary/

Yesterday, four scientists from the Department of Chemistry, UCPH - Kemisk Institut, Københavns Universitet tried their hand at fortune telling, the day before the Nobel Committee in Stockholm reveals the identity of this year’s Nobel laureate in Chemistry 2025. Each speaker nominated one or more chemists of international renown.

Nobel Laureate Morten Peter Meldal nominated: Professor Kit Lam, Professor Mario Geysen, Professor Arpad Furka

Post Doc Jerik Mathew Valera Lauridsen nominated Professor Ellen Vitetta and Professor Jagath Reddy Junutula

Assistant Professor Junjun Tan nominated Professor Clifford P. Brangwynne and Professor Anthony A. Hyman
Professor Kurt Mikkelsen nominates: Professor Jan Rossmeisl and Professor Jens Kehlet Nørskov.

After voting, the audience favorite was Professor Jan Rossmeisl and Professor Jens Kehlet Nørskov, nominated by Professor Kurt Mikkelse.

Now we only have to wait at see. You can follow the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 at 11:45 using this link:
https://www.nobelprize.org/

The Department of Chemistry congratulates Professor Jan Rossmeisl on the extension of the research grant from the Danish National Research Foundation to continue work at the Center of Excellence “Center for High Entropy Alloy Catalysis (CHEAC)”

Professor Jan Rossmeisl: “It is a great pleasure to be the leader of CHEAC, and I appreciate all the people involved. I’m pleased that the reviewers and DNRF agree that we have established the field of High Entropy Alloy Catalysis. I believe we have shown that the field of High Entropy Alloys holds potential for new materials discovery. This is clearly recognized by the extension of CHEAC for further four years. It is a joint achievement and I look forward to continuing the collaboration.”

Reviewer quotes:
”.. the core team is exceptionally well qualified, both in terms of individual excellence and collective coherence. It combines the necessary depth, diversity, and complementarity of expertise to address the complex challenges of HEA catalysis.”
” The combination of visionary leadership, outstanding publication record, and bold conceptual frameworks puts CHEAC in the top international tier for catalytic materials research.”
”.. one can simply say that the center (CHEAC) was very instrumental in establishing the new research field of high entropy alloy catalysis… it is fair to say that the center corresponds to the elite in this particular research field.”

About CHEAC
Catalysis is the key to the future transition to renewable chemicals and fuels. Present day chemical production is based on oil and natural gas, and renewable chemicals and fuels cannot be efficiently catalyzed with existing materials. There is a need to discover new catalytic chemistry and catalyst materials. This is the grand challenge!
The Center for High Entropy Alloy Catalysis (CHEAC) targets electrochemical reactions for the production of renewable and high-value chemicals where the reaction energy is provided by electricity, thus paving the way for a greener society.

Read more about CHEAC
https://dg.dk/en/centers/center-for-high-entropy-alloy-catalysis-cheac/

Just a reminder for applications to the Holm Scholarship. The deadline is 15/10-25 at 12:00 noon.

Professor Jan Rossmeisl is awarded the Faraday Medal for Electrochemistry 2025

The Faraday Medal is awarded annually by the Electrochemistry Group of the Royal Society of Chemistry to an electrochemist working outside the UK and Ireland in recognition of outstanding original contributions and innovation in any field of electrochemistry.
Professor Jan Rossmeisl gave a plenary lecture at Northumbria University, Newcastle, on September 1st, 2025, where he was also presented with the honorable medal.

Professor Jan Ross Meisl says, “I am very honored to have received the Faraday Medal in Electrochemistry. When I look at the previous recipients, I am in incredibly good company”.

Professor Rossmeisl, who leads the Center for High Entropy Alloy Catalysis (CHEAC) at the University of Copenhagen, has long been recognized as a pioneer in theoretical electrochemistry. His research has significantly advanced our understanding of electrocatalytic processes, particularly in relation to sustainable energy conversion and storage. Through a combination of computational modelling and close collaboration with experimental groups, Rossmeisl has contributed to the development of novel catalyst materials that could play a key role in the green transition. The Faraday Medal is a testament to the impact and relevance of his work on the global scientific community.

The Department of Chemistry congratulates Postdoc Michael Martin Nielsen for receiving the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants for the project entitled “Beyond UV: Visible-light Photocatalysis in Prebiotic Chemistry”. Michael Martin Nielsen, Københavns Universitet - University of Copenhagen, is one of ten researchers in Denmark to receive Europe’s most prestigious research grant.

“It is a great privilege to receive this grant, which gives me a unique opportunity to explore a new direction in my research career, transitioning from organocatalysis to origins of life research and photochemistry. The starting grant allows me to hire my first generation of postdocs and PhD-students, and I am extremely excited about what we will discover over the next 5 years,” says Michael Martin Nielsen

Michael Martin Nielsens receives the ERC grant to uncover the role of visible light in driving prebiotic chemical reactions, with a focus on polymerizations and redox processes using prebiotically relevant photocatalysts. While UV light has traditionally been emphasized in prebiotic chemistry for its high energy and efficient bond-breaking properties, it can also degrade advanced organic material, presenting a central paradox in prebiotic chemistry. In contrast, visible light, when paired with photocatalysts, may drive important chemical transformations without the need for the protective mechanisms associated with UV chemistry. The project involves synthesizing a diverse range of photocatalysts to generate a computational model capable of predicting their photoredox properties. These molecules will then be investigated as photocatalysts in selected prebiotic reactions. Additionally, he will investigate key steps of a proposed prebiotic synthesis of key redox-active molecules can be initiated by visible light photoredox catalysis. Lastly, visible light-driven reactions will be benchmarked against established UV light-initiated processes to determine whether visible light can drive similar or complementary chemistry. By completing these objectives, I will provide examples of visible-light photocatalysis in prebiotic chemistry. This will impact our understanding of how visible light contributed to the formation of life’s building blocks, offering alternative pathways to prebiotic molecule accumulation and broadening our understanding of early chemical reaction networks.

Nyt undervisningsmateriale til kemi i gymnasiet er nu udgivet!
Takket være støtte fra Novo Nordisk Foundation har gymnasielærerne, Christine Brænder Almstrup og Mie Lindeman Olsen, de seneste to år været ansat på Kemisk Institut, Københavns Universitet og Institut for Kemi, Aarhus Universitet for at omsætte den nyeste kemiske forskning til undervisningsmateriale.

Vi er nu i luften med det nye undervisningsmateriale, der sætter fokus på kemiens rolle som problemløser i en bæredygtig fremtid 🌱.

På https://alterkemi.dk finder du temaer som:
💊 Nye lægemidler med et klik
🔋Fremtidens batterier
⚡Power-to-X og katalyse - fra grøn energi til brændstoffer og kemikalier
🌍 CO₂ – fra klimasynder til byggesten
… og mange flere!

Alt er gratis og kan bruges direkte i kemiundervisningen på både HTX og STX. Temaerne tager afsæt i kernestof til kemi og indeholder også forskningsfortællinger, film, podcasts, spændende forsøg og opgaver, der inddrager kemi i anvendelse.

Danish research has just received a significant boost with 36 new research projects funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark’s grants for talented new Sapere Aude: DFF-Starting Grant recipient. These researchers now have the opportunity to realise their own best research ideas while also taking on the challenge of leading their own research teams.

In 2025, 354 researchers applied for a Sapere Aude: DFF-Starting Grant. Only the 36 most promising applicants succeeded. They all went through a rigorous selection process, including assessment by the Fund’s research councils, international peer review, and an interview with an interdisciplinary selection panel. The final assessment focused on the applicants’ academic strength, communication skills, and leadership potential.
Each of the selected researchers receives a grant of approximately DKK 6 million to carry out their innovative research projects.

The Department of Chemistry congratulates Olga and Rebeca with there Sapere Aude grants form DFF.

Olga Garmash, Research leader, Tenure Track Assistant Professor
Project title: "Biological material as a source of reactive organic nitrogen gases to the atmosphere"
"Sea surface is rich in biological organic matter. I am interested in how organic biomolecules, specifically those containing nitrogen atoms, can get from the sea and into the air. We will conduct experiments in the laboratory and in the real atmosphere and test previously overlooked release mechanisms from sea spray. The presence of organic molecules over remote oceans is extremely interesting because they can react and form aerosol particles. These particles can affect climate as they absorb and reflect sunlight, but also because they are absolutely necessary for forming clouds. As a result, my project will help to understand the connection between oceans, clouds and climate".

Rebecca Katharina Pittkowski, Research leader, Tenure Track Assistant Professor
Project title: “Stability of water electrolysis catalysts – StabilECat”

“Using electricity, water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen, and this hydrogen is a key molecule in the transition of our chemical industry to a renewable one. A catalyst is needed to make the water splitting process as efficient as possible. Iridium, one of the rarest elements on earth, is used for this. My project aims to reduce the amount of iridium while maintaining efficiency. Here, the stability of the catalyst is a particular challenge. In StabilEcat, we want to find out why the catalyst performance deteriorates fast when using smaller amounts of iridium. What are the processes that lead to this loss of efficiency? To understand this, we will use high-energy X-rays to look inside the catalyst during operation and follow the structural changes throughout the process.”

Additional reading about the Sapere Aude grants
https://dff.dk/en/about-the-fund/news-and-press/all-news/news-uk/2025/juni/219-million-dkk-for-outstanding-research-ideas-36-new-sapere-aude-research-leaders/

🌍 Open Call for STEM students: Spend a semester in a Silicon Valley start-up!

Have you ever dreamed of being a part of a Silicon Valley start-up? Now's your chance!

The International Bioinnovation Scholarship Program, funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, gives six top students from Danish universities the opportunity to spend five months in a start-up in Silicon Valley.

Get real start-up experience, expand your global network, and explore the world’s leading innovation ecosystem - an opportunity that could kickstart your entrepreneurial journey!

Who can apply?
- You’re a Master’s student (or a Bachelor student accepted into a Master’s program).
- You’re studying within a STEM field.
- You have a passion for entrepreneurship and innovation.

The program covers major costs, including visa, housing, flight tickets, a monthly stipend, and full support from Innovation Centre Denmark Silicon Valley throughout the stay.

🗓 Program period: February 1 - June 30, 2026
📌Application deadline: September 15, 2025

Apply now on bioinnovationprogram.dk