The Ernst Haage Foundation of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion and the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung in Mülheim will award Dr. Oliver Dumele the Ernst Haage Prize 2023.

Many were nominated, but finally a young group leader from the German capital made the race. Dr. Oliver Dumele from Humboldt University convinced the board of trustees: The Ernst Haage Foundation of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion and the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung in Mülheim will award him the Ernst Haage Prize 2023. The award comes with prize money of 7500 euros.

The award is named after the Mülheim entrepreneur Ernst Haage. Both Mülheim institutes honor young scientists for their outstanding achievements in the field of chemistry. They aim to promote promising talents to make their way in the scientific world. Oliver Dumele's team is working on the synthesis of new chemical compounds. One focus is on layered and macrocyclic materials.

Ernst Haage, who was associated with the Max Planck Institutes throughout his life, always emphasized the great importance of the education of young people. Therefore, unsurprisingly, it is an integral part of the Ernst Haage Prize to recognize outstanding trainees as well as doctoral students and postdocs in addition to the national prize winner. This year, the apprentices Sandra Denner and Berfin Göker as well as the doctoral student Joyce Grimm and the post-doctoral student Maria Drosou will receive a prize. 

For the award ceremony, the Ernst Haage Foundation was able to win the American scientist Paul T. Anastas as keynote speaker. The renowned chemist is working as director at the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering at Yale University. He previously worked as a scientific advisor to the U.S. government under President Barack Obama. Anastas is known for his commitment to sustainable chemistry - and is thus an excellent fit for the approach of the Max Planck Institutes in Mülheim. Anastas is convinced that intelligent molecular design can help protect the environment.

The Ernst Haage Prize has been awarded since 2006. Haage's daughter Ursula Bonnen, who passed away in 2019, had established the Ernst Haage Foundation in 2006 together with the MPI for Chemical Energy Conversion. Her father was head of the mechanical workshops at the Max Planck Campus in Mülheim before founding his own company.

The public award ceremony will take place on Friday, November 3, in the lecture hall building of the Max Planck Institute für Kohlenforschung.