News of the Lützen Group

KOPO 2026 in Bad Honnef

From May 10 to 13, the Lützen Research Group participated in the KOPO 2026 at the Physics Center in Bad Honnef. We would like to thank Prof. Dr. Arne Lützen, Prof. Dr. Sigurd Höger, Prof. Dr. Michael Mastalerz, and Ms. Ulrike Blank for organizing this successful conference. Some of our doctoral students had the opportunity to chair a session there. As part of this conference, Lea Hake gave her first public presentation, titled Synthesis of Oligoarylenes via Micellar Catalysis.

Suprachem 2026 in Dortmund — The working group presents new results.

From March 8 to 10, the Lützen Research Group was represented as a large team at Suprachem. Our doctoral students, postdoctoral researcher, and master’s students all had the opportunity to present their research during the poster session on Monday evening. The numerous presentations during the conference provided us with new ideas for our own research and insights into lesser-known areas of research. We would like to thank Dr. Elisabeth Kreidt, Dr. David Van Craen, and Prof. Dr. Guido Clever for their excellent organization and leadership of the conference.

Lena Harings successfully defended her PhD Thesis!

We are carrying the momentum of successfully completed doctoral dissertations into 2026 with Lena Harings. On February 26, 2026, she defended her doctoral thesis titled Catalysis^cubed – Cyclopropanations inside a porphyrin-based supramolecular M₈L₆ aggregate. It did not take long for her to find a new position: Since March, she has been working as a medical representative at Careforce (Boehringer Ingelheim) in the Dortmund Area.

Ayla Steinhauer and Fee Steinhauer Were Awarded the Sigrid Peyerimhoff Scholarship for Their Outstanding Master’s Theses!

The annual Sigrid Peyerimhoff Awards were presented on November 13, 2025. This year, the award was presented to three outstanding students: Ayla Steinhauer, Fee Steinhauer, and Katrin Drysch. Ayla Steinhauer received the award for her master’s thesis titled The Synthesis of Porphyrin-based Metallosupramolecular Cages as Supramolecular Catalysts. Fee Steinhauer’s master’s thesis is titled TADDOL Ligands in Metallosupramolecular Cages. In addition to the 1,000-euro prize money, the award recipients received the biography of Prof. Dr. Sigrid Peyerimhoff, published as part of the “Lives in Chemistry” series: “Ab initio – A Life Dedicated to Quantum Chemistry.”

Anne Jenniches has Successfully Defended her Dissertation!

Prof. Lützen became a dissertation advisor for the second time in October, when Anne Jenniches defended her dissertation with the title Synthese π-konjugierter Oligomere und Untersuchung derer optoelektronischen Eigenschaften on October 24, 2025. We are eager to see how many prospective students she can inspire to take an interest in chemistry as a teacher at Lohmar Comprehensive School.

Research Residence in Boulder, Colorado

As part of his Ph.D. research, Marc spent four months with Prof. Seth Marder’s research group at the University of Colorado in Boulder, USA. From September to December 2025, he researched the synthesis of chiral polymers and their chiroptical properties in the USA. In addition to gaining fascinating insights from his research, he spent his free time exploring the stunning natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains and experiencing American culture firsthand. This research opportunity was made possible by RTG 2591 – TIDE.

We Are Delighted to Welcome Four New Master's Students to Our Group This Summer!

At the start of the summer semester, four master's students joined our group for their focusing laboratory course. Following that, they all decided to write their master's thesis with us. Over the coming months, Daniel Holbach will focus on the synthesis and characterization of M4L6 cages. Levin Peters is conducting research on chiral TADF emitters, and Sonja Papan is working on racemization barriers and complexes based on 8,8′-BINOL. Matthias Justen will write his thesis on the synthesis of porphyrin- and salen-based metallosupramolecular cages. (From left to right: Daniel Holbach, Levin Peters, Sonja Papan, and Matthias Justen)

Fraz Visited the JKU Linz and ELI Beamlines

At the beginning of his doctoral thesis, Fraz visited the Johannes Kepler University Linz and the ELI Beamlines in Dolní Břežany in the Czech Republic.

Prof. Lützen is a Doktorvater Again: Eric Pertermann Successfully Defended his PhD Thesis!

Prof. Lützen became Doktorvater again this year. On 11 December 2024, Eric Pertermann defended his PhD thesis entitled Synthesis and characterization of tetrahedral metallosupramolecular complexes of chromophoric ligands. He was then pushed through the Kekulé Institute in a colorfully decorated festival trolley.