Welcome to the Department of Chemistry at Paderborn University
The Department of Chemistry combines interdisciplinary cutting-edge research with practice-oriented teaching and socially relevant issues. Our research ranges from the synthesis of functional materials to the sustainable use of chemical resources and theoretical methods for simulating molecular processes.
Our research groups address key questions in inorganic, organic, physical, macromolecular, and theoretical chemistry, as well as in chemistry education and sustainable materials science. Through numerous national and international collaborations, as well as integration into research centers and special research programs, the Department offers a dynamic environment for science, education, and innovation.
Our professors are actively involved in a wide range of national and international associations, editorial boards, graduate schools, and research centers, including:
- Center for Sustainable Systems Design (CSSD)
- CeOPP - Center for Optoelectronics and Photonics
- Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT)
- International Liquid Crystal Society
- DFG Review Boards & Priority Programs
- Industrial partnerships (BMW, BASF, Merck, Fraunhofer)
„Paderborn Chemistry combines excellent teaching with outstanding research. In research, the focus is on the development and understanding of sustainable systems at the molecular level. In teaching, chemical concepts are taught and applied in a research-oriented manner.”
Research
Research with substance - from molecules to materials
Main research areas:
- Sustainable catalysis & green chemistry (Bauer, Werner, and Paradies research groups)
- Smarter materials & nanostructures (Kuckling, Tiemann, and López Salas research groups)
- Interfacial processes & corrosion protection (Grundmeier and Bremser research groups)
- Modern spectroscopy & simulation (Brehm, Elgabarty and Bauer research groups)
- Science educationn & communication (Fechner research group)
Selected research topics:
- Photocatalytic water splitting using iron complexes (Bauer)
- Development of stimuli-responsive polymers for drug delivery (Kuckling)
- CO₂-based synthesis routes in organocatalysis (Werner)
- Sustainable carbon materials for supercapacitors (Tiemann, López Salas)
- Metal-free catalysis through frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) (Paradies)
- Understanding corrosion at interfaces (Grundmeier, Bremser)
Our research is integrated into national and international programs such as DFG Priority Programs SPP 2102/2080, Collaborative Research Centers (e.g., SFB/TR87), EU projects (e.g., EIC Pathfinder), and industry collaborations.
Teaching
A modern and application-oriented study programme, six degree courses that offer a wide range of qualification opportunities for science, industry and teaching, the best infrastructure in teaching and research (modern laboratory building, networked campus), a wide range of compulsory and elective courses, special focus in the field of sustainable chemistry and materials chemistry, and close integration of courses and science; studying chemistry in Paderborn is a good choice.