Prof. Dr. Stefanie Dehnen - Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prizewinner 2022
Inorganic Molecular Chemistry, University of Marburg
gwl_dehnen
Prof. Dr. Stefanie Dehnen
© Jochen Mogk
Prof. Dr. Stefanie Dehnen
© Jochen Mogk
Stefanie Dehnen receives the Leibniz Prize for her outstanding contributions to the synthesis of novel metal clusters and their application in energy storage and transfer. Her work in chemistry is based on a special synthesis concept that enables access to a wide range of novel compounds and materials. For example she uses binary aggregates of main group elements which are then extended by at least one component – additional atoms or organic groups. In this way, Dehnen has succeeded in producing novel structures with the best conductive properties known to date. Her research does not fit into any conventional scheme: the transdisciplinary approach is especially crucial in “stretch chemistry”, in particular the combination of inorganic and organic chemistry, complex chemistry and modern theoretical methods. The results of her research have found their way into chemistry textbooks, and her synthesis approach is now used worldwide.
Dehnen studied chemistry at the University of Karlsruhe and gained her doctorate there in 1996. After obtaining her postdoctoral teaching qualification in 2004, she accepted an appointment to the chair of inorganic chemistry at the University of Marburg one year later. She is still a professor in Marburg today. Dehnen is committed to equal opportunities and in 2018 received the Philipps University Award for the Promotion of Women in Science. She is also a member of the Leopoldina – the German National Academy of Sciences. At her university she runs the Chemikum, a public hands-on laboratory.