Bernd Abel
Bernd Abel | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1960 Delmenhorst, West Germany |
| Occupation(s) | Chemist, Professor |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Known for | Chair of Chemical Technology of Polymers at Leipzig University; ERA Chair holder at J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry |
Bernd Abel (born 1960) is a German expert in chemistry, with a specialization in applied physical chemistry. He currently holds the Chair of Chemical Technology of Polymers at Leipzig University. Beginning in 2025, he will also assume the role of ERA Chair holder and lead the department at the J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, part of the Czech Academy of Sciences located in Prague.
Personal life
Born in 1960, Abel's origins trace back to Delmenhorst, West Germany.
Career
Abel pursued his chemistry studies at the Georg-August University of Göttingen starting in 1982, earning his diploma by 1986. Under the supervision of Jürgen Troe, he completed his doctoral research in 1990, concentrating on molecular dynamics following IR multiphoton excitation. Subsequently, he spent three years conducting research at the George Harrison Spectroscopy Laboratory within the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. From 1994 onward, Abel worked as a research scientist and led a group at Göttingen’s Institute of Physical Chemistry, achieving his habilitation in 1999. In 2002, he was appointed associate professor of Physical Chemistry at the same institution.
In 2008, Abel took on the Chair of Physical Chemistry/Reaction Dynamics at Leipzig University's Wilhelm Ostwald Institute. He held the position of managing director there between 2010 and 2015. From 2012 to 2022, he directed the Chemical Department at the Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering and served as deputy director while maintaining a professorship in Technical Chemistry at Leipzig University. Since 2022, Abel has been leading the Chair of Chemical Technology of Polymers at Leipzig University, overseeing an interdisciplinary team dedicated to exploring the physical and chemical characteristics of complex materials.
His international experience includes serving as Somorjai Visiting Miller Professor at the University of California, Berkeley during the winter term of 2018/2019. In April 2025, Abel was named ERA Chair holder and appointed head of "Space Chemistry and Technology" at the Jaroslav Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry under the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague.
Research
Abel’s research centers on elucidating the physical and chemical attributes of complex materials situated at the crossroads of chemistry, physics, and engineering disciplines. The objective is to deepen understanding of fundamental mechanisms and translate this insight into innovative technologies and material development. His investigations span nanomaterials, surface and interfacial phenomena, soft matter—including polymers and colloids—quantum chemistry, and computational simulations. These projects are complemented by spectroscopic techniques aimed at analyzing chemical dynamics and materials relevant for energy conversion and storage applications such as solar cells, batteries, and fuel cells.
Additionally, Abel’s group has engineered high-resolution mass spectrometry devices intended for deployment in upcoming space exploration missions. Their experimental work replicates environmental conditions around icy satellites orbiting Jupiter and Saturn, generating data critical for endeavors like the Europa Clipper probe launched in 2024.
Since 2022, Abel has chaired the Wilhelm Ostwald Society (Wilhelm-Ostwald-Gesellschaft e.V.) board and acts as an editorial member for the journal Zeitschrift für Physikalische Chemie.
Awards
- 1999: Recipient of the Sir Harold Thompson Memorial Award, presented by Spectrochimica Acta Part A
- 2001: Honored with the Nernst-Haber-Bodenstein-Preis from the Deutsche Bunsen-Gesellschaft für Physikalische Chemie
- 2018: Awarded the Somorjai Visiting Miller Professorship at the University of California, Berkeley
External links
- Profile of Bernd Abel at Leipzig University
- Profile of Bernd Abel at Jaroslav Heyrovský Institute
- Interview with Bernd Abel featured on Leipzig University's YouTube channel