Marcel Risch investigates the mechanisms of catalysis and corrosion in sustainable electrocatalysts, which are essential for producing green hydrogen and chemicals. “We want to understand how sustainable electrocatalysts work. With this knowledge, we aim to make the production of green hydrogen and industrially important chemicals more efficient and durable,” Risch explains. The group’s core areas of expertise include green electrocatalysis, synchrotron spectroscopy, and digital electrocatalysis.

Since earning his PhD from Freie Universität Berlin in 2011, Marcel Risch has built an impressive research career. He has conducted research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Göttingen, and most recently at HZB in Berlin, where he successfully established a junior research group funded by an ERC Starting Grant.

Marcel Risch has received the Hans-Jürgen Engell Award from the International Society of Electrochemistry and the Carl Ramsauer Award (now known as the Dissertation Award) from the Physical Society of Berlin. He is also a Fellow of the Young Academy of Europe.

Marcel Risch is enthusiastic about his new role at Freie Universität Berlin: “I look forward to working with my new colleagues in the field of spectroscopy and to inspiring students to explore sustainable energy technologies and the underlying mechanisms.” The new biophysics professor is already teaching his first course, “Physics and Chemistry of Sustainability – Renewable Energy,” in the current winter semester of 2026-2027.

We wish Prof. Dr. Marcel Risch every success at Freie Universität Berlin!