idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
Göttingen University and the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Multidisciplinary Sciences have been successful in the competition for Germany’s most highly endowed research prize: Chemist Professor Reinhard Maurer, nominated by the university and the Göttingen MPI, has been awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship.
The professorship, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space is endowed with five million euros over five years. This will enable the participating research institutions to make an attractive appointment offer to an internationally renowned scientist.
Reinhard Maurer is considered a pioneer in the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) methods in theoretical chemistry. The approaches he has developed are important for computer-aided materials research and can also be transferred to other fields. His scientific work is expected to benefit both the German research landscape and the chemical industry. With his excellent international network, he will take on a role with great future potential in Göttingen and help the location become a global leader: At the Campus Institute for Data Science (CIDAS), a central scientific facility at the University of Göttingen and a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of data science, he will establish a globally visible platform for “Scientific AI and Predictive Modeling” and bring together experts from theoretical chemistry to bioinformatics.
Maurer’s research focuses on the theory and simulation of molecular reactions on surfaces and in materials. The application of machine learning and AI is also pioneering in the fields of chemistry and computer-aided materials science. Maurer’s team has succeeded in establishing a completely new, groundbreaking approach that uses deep learning to predict the results of experiments or simulations. The algorithm he developed can be used, among other things, to calculate molecular structures that are necessary for certain desired chemical properties. It thus enables inverse design, which is particularly important for materials research and drug development. However, the method can also be applied to a wide range of other problems in chemistry, physics, and biology.
“We are delighted about Reinhard Maurer’s successful nomination. This will enable us to further expand cutting-edge research at the Göttingen science location together with our non-university partners,” explains University President Professor Axel Schölmerich. Professor Melina Schuh, Managing Director of the MPI for Multidisciplinary Sciences, emphasizes the excellent opportunities for close cooperation at the Göttingen Campus that will result from the joint appointment. “Scientists from a wide range of disciplines will benefit from Maurer’s work. His nomination has an impact far beyond the science location Göttingen.”
Maurer studied chemistry in Graz (Austria), received his doctorate from the Technical University of Munich in 2014, and then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Yale University (USA). In 2017, he joined the University of Warwick (UK) as an assistant professor. Since 2022, he has been a full professor there and holds a dual professorship in computational surface chemistry and interface physics. His awards include a Future Leaders Fellowship from UK Research and Innovation (2019), an ERC Starting Grant (2022), and the Faraday early career prize: Marlow Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry (2024).
Professor Reinhard Maurer
C. Hollis
C. Hollis
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Contests / awards, Personnel announcements
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