Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
New Zealand has joined Horizon Europe, and we are keen to be included in bids going forwards - so please reach out if you are interested in exploring this possibility. My wider team's interests include many aspects of hydrogen, especially metal hydride storage (in collaboration with Helmholtz Zentrum Hereon), catalysts for hydrogen production, and use of hydrogen for remote/off grid sites, as well as to improve energy resilience. We have established the German-NZ Green Hydrogen Centre / He Honoka Hauwai, in partnership with Helmholtz Zentrum Hereon and Ngai Tahu/Murihiku Regeneration. Please note that this is not restricted to D-NZ and we welcome wider collaborations! We're also keen on developing molecular catalysts for selective CO2 reduction - mostly under electrocatalytic conditions (both homogeneous and heterogeneous studies, in collaboration with Prof Aaron Marshall), but we have also done some work under photocatalytic conditions. A recent highlight is one of our heterogeneous electrocatalysts, for which 94% of the C-products are formate and acetate (not yet published). Molecular catalysts for the synthesis of value added chemicals from low value or waste products is also of interest to us. Finally, we also have a significant amount of expertise to bring to the table on the development of spin crossover complexes, including various uses, such as sensors.
Additional experience: Co-leader, with Dr Paul Jerabek (Helmholz Zentrum Hereon, Hamburg), of German-NZ green hydrogen initiative (funded on both sides, by BMBF and MBIE, 2021-2026). Many short research visits to collaborators in Europe (Germany in particular), and also to Prof. Garry S. Hanan (Montreal), Canada, as part of our photocatalytic hydrogen production collaboration (supported by a Catalyst seed grant). 2013/2007/2004: 1-3 month sabbaticals, as a Visiting Professor at the Centre for Functional Nanostructures with Prof. Annie K. Powell (Karlsruhe; KIT), Germany 2000: 6 month sabbatical as a Visiting Professor with Prof. Jane Nelson (Belfast) and as an RSC Journals Grantee with Professor Mike Ward (Bristol, now Warwick), UK 1996: 6 month sabbatical as a Humboldt Fellow with Prof. Karl Wieghardt, MPI für Strahlenchemie (now Chemical Energy Conversion), Mülheim, Germany 1990-1991: Postdoctoral Fellow with Prof. G.M. Sheldrick (author of a key X-ray crystallography software package, SHELX), Universität Göttingen, Germany