Prof. Carsten Streb

Carsten Streb has been professor of inorganic chemistry at JGU since 2022. He investigates molecular metal oxides, so called polyoxometalates as building blocks for functional materials. These are small, self-contained units that in turn are crafted from subunits at the molecular level. He has developed novel concepts to build up polyoxometalates from these units. The control of the assembly of these units into larger aggregates has been a major step towards nano-structured materials with tailored properties.

His research spans a bridge between molecular chemistry and solid-state/materials chemistry, and he has managed to bring together previously disjunct fields of research such as metal oxide chemistry and ionic liquid chemistry, soft matter design and redox-switchability, as well as molecular electronics and spintronics, redox- and photo-switchable materials, organic-inorganic hybrids and multifunctional solar energy conversion systems.

At an early age, Carsten Streb has already become one of the most highly cited and most acknowledged researchers in the molecular metal oxide community and in inorganic chemistry in Europe. Recently, he has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant with the aim to explore the polymerization of metal oxides and gain control over the structure and reactivity of such materials. At JGU, he will contribute to the field of sustainable chemistry, where his innovative materials concepts for resource-efficient catalysis and upcycling of bio-feedstocks will become cornerstones of this new research field.