Over International Women's Day we spoke with Dr Katharina Eisenhardt, former Postdoctoral Research Associate, Williams Group, University of Oxford and UK Catalysis Hub member.
What inspired you to pursue a career in catalysis research?
I have always wanted to work on a sustainability challenge that has relevance beyond chemistry. Very early on in my undergraduate, I was introduced to the idea of utilising CO2 as a sustainable feedstock, and I found that very fascinating, because prior to that I had always thought of CO2 gas as waste. At the same time, I was really inspired by the courses in catalysis and organometallic chemistry during my undergraduate degree.
How did you first get involved with the UK Catalysis Hub?
I did my PhD with Professor Charlotte Williams.
Can you describe the project you’re working on with the Hub?
For past 4 years I have been working on new homogenous, heterodinuclear catalysts for the synthesis of polymers from sustainable monomers, including waste products such as carbon dioxide. I am especially interested in understanding reaction mechanisms and structure-performance relationships to help enable future, rational catalyst design.
Why is catalysis research important in today’s world?
Catalysis is essential to achieve a future circular economy. We need to completely change the way that we make chemicals and materials. For many materials this requires the use of new, sustainable feedstocks and catalysis is essential to enable the efficient, low energy transformation of these feedstocks into useful products.
How is your work making a difference?
I am working towards understanding how we can design sustainable polymerisation catalysts in the most efficient and sustainable way. Hopefully, this understanding will help to select catalysts and process conditions for the upscaling of sustainable polymerisations to facilitate our transition towards a circular polymer economy.
What are the biggest challenges you face as an early career researcher in catalysis?
The uncertainty that comes with short term contracts in academia can be very challenging.
What are your future aspirations in catalysis research, and what excites you the most about the future of catalysis research and its potential impact?
I think catalysis is a really exciting field to be working in at the moment, because a lot of the (sustainability) challenges that the field works on are very relevant beyond chemistry. At the same time, I think there is still a lot of very fundamental science left to be discovered and understood. This close connection between current challenges and fundamental research often brings people of many different backgrounds together, which I think is really exciting, and holds a lot of potential.
