Professor Lutz Ackermann is a distinguished chemist and leading authority in sustainable organic synthesis who has reshaped modern approaches to catalytic transformations. He currently serves as Professor of Organic Chemistry at the Institute for Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry within Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, a position he assumed in 2007 after establishing his independent research program at Ludwig Maximilians-University München in 2003. Following chemistry studies at the University of Kiel, he earned his PhD in 2001 under Professor Alois Fürstner at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Mülheim an der Ruhr, where he conducted groundbreaking work in organometallic chemistry. His subsequent postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, with Professor Robert G. Bergman provided the foundation for his innovative contributions to catalytic methodology development that would define his independent career.
Professor Ackermann's pioneering research has revolutionized synthetic organic chemistry through the development of sustainable catalytic methodologies that prioritize atom economy and environmental considerations while enabling previously challenging transformations. His innovative work on electrocatalysis and C-H bond functionalization has established new paradigms for efficient activation of inert bonds using transition metal catalysts, significantly advancing synthetic efficiency across pharmaceutical and materials chemistry. With an h-index exceeding 129 on Web of Science and more than 550 publications, his research has garnered exceptional recognition including the prestigious Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize in 2017, which specifically honored his transformative contributions to organometallic catalysis and sustainable synthesis. His development of novel concepts for sustainable catalysis, particularly in electrocatalysis and bond activation, has provided the chemical community with powerful tools that have redefined standards of efficiency in complex molecule construction.
As an elected member of the German Academy of Sciences since 2016, Professor Ackermann has significantly shaped the field through his leadership in advancing electrochemical methodologies and training numerous doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers who now lead independent research programs worldwide. His recent recognition with the Otto-Roelen-Medaille in 2024 and Werner Siemens-Stiftung Research Award in 2023 underscores the continued impact and relevance of his work in contemporary chemical research. Holding multiple European Research Council grants including an Advanced Grant in 2021, he continues to push the boundaries of sustainable catalysis with particular emphasis on integrating electrochemical methods with traditional synthetic approaches. His current research program focuses on developing next-generation catalytic systems that address pressing challenges in peptide functionalization, medicinal chemistry applications, and the synthesis of biologically active compounds through increasingly efficient and environmentally conscious methodologies.
