Research

Research Priorities: Organocatalysis, catalysis concepts, proline-catalysed intermolecular aldol-reaction, asymmetrical catalysis, textile-organic catalysis

Benjamin List is a chemist. He co-founded the field of asymmetrical organocatalysis – a process with which molecules can be constructed. Organocatalysts are used, for example, in the production of drugs and solar cells. Their advantage is that they do not require metal compounds, which are often detrimental to health or the environment and comparatively expensive. For the discovery of this third class of catalysts, he was awarded the 2021 Nobel prize in chemistry together with David W.C. MacMilan.

Benjamin List found that the naturally occurring amino acid proline is an efficient catalyst (proline-catalysed intermolecular aldol-reaction) and thus opened the field of organocatalysis. With that, naturally occurring substances and nonmetals could be used as catalysts for the first time in chemistry. Previously, only two types of catalysts – which accelerate chemical reactions and make them more efficient – were known: metal catalysts and enzymes. By comparison, organic catalysts are more easily reusable and generally less toxic than metal catalysts. They contribute to a chemistry that is more sustainable and more resource efficient as 80 per cent of all chemical products are made with the help of catalysts.

Together with his team, Benjamin List discovered new principles of asymmetric catalysis (asymmetric counteration-directed catalysis, ACDC) and textile-organic catalysis. During textile-organic catalysis, soluble organic catalysts are sequestered to textile materials. This principle can help to treat water where people are cut off from water supply.

Career

• since 2022 Professor, Graduate School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
• since 2021 Specially Appointed Professor, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
• 2012-2014 Executive Director, Max-Planck-Instituts für Kohlenforschung, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
• 2008 Guest Professor, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea
• 2005 Guest Professor, Gakushuin University, Tokyo, Japan
• since 2005 Director, Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
• since 2005 Scientific Member, Max-Planck Society, Munich, Germany
• since 2004 Honorary Professor, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
• 2003-2005 Director, Research Unit, Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
• 1999-2003 Assistant Professor (Tenure Track), Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, USA
• 1997-1998 Postdoctoral Fellow, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, USA
• 1997 PhD, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
• 1993 Diploma, Freie Universität (FU) Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Functions

• since 2017 Member, Advisory Board, Institute for Molecular Science, Okazaki, Japan
• since 2015 Chief Editor, Synlett
• since 2011 Editor, Synlett
• since 2010 Member, Editorial Advisory Panel, Nature Communications
• since 2008 Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry
• since 2005 Editor, Synfacts
• 2008-2009 Editor, Asymmetric Organocatalysis, Topics in Current Chemistry
• 2006 Editor, Organocatalysis, Chemical Reviews
• 2004 Co-Editor, Special Edition, Organocatalysis von Adv. Synth. Cat
• 2004 Co-Editor, Special Edition, Enantioselective Organocatalysis of Accounts on Chemical Research

Projects

• since 2022 Advanced Grant “ESO – Early-Stage Organocatalysis“, European Research Council (ERC)
• 2005-2014 Spokesperson, Priority Programme (SPP) 1179 “Organocatalysis“, German Research Council (DFG)
• 2005-2011 Coordinator, SPP 1179 “Organocatalysis“, DFG
• 2005-2011 Applicant, Subproject “Development of New Strategies and Concepts for the Solution of Remaining Problems

Honours and Memberships

• since 2022 Member, Academy of Sciences and Literature, Mainz, Germany
• since 2022 Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Künste, Düsseldorf, Germany
• since 2022 Honorary Member, Chinese Chemical Society, China
• since 2022 Member, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria
• 2022 Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Federal Republic of Germany
• 2022 Herbert C. Brown Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Methods, American Chemical Society, USA
• 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (together with David MacMillan), Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Sweden
• since 2018 Member, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
• 2017 Prof. U.R. Ghatak Endowment Lecture, Kolkata, India
• 2017 Ta-shue Chou Lectureship, Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
• 2016 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, German Research Council (DFG), Germany
• 2015 Carl Shipp Marvel Lectures, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA
• 2014 Highly Cited Researcher, Thomson Reuters, Toronto, Canada
• 2014 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, American Chemical Society, USA
• 2013 Ruhrpreis, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
• 2013 Mukaiyama Award, Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan (SSOCJ), Japan
• 2013 Horst Pracejus Prize, German Chemical Society, Germany
• 2012 Otto Bayer Award for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Bayer Cares Foundation und Bayer Science and Education Foundation, Leverkusen, Germany
• 2012 Novartis Chemistry Lectureship Award, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
• 2011 Boehringer-Ingelheim Lectureship, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
• 2009 Thomson Reuters Citation Laureate for Chemistry, Clarivate, London, UK
• 2009 Organic Reactions Lectureship, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA
• 2009 Boehringer-Ingelheim Lectureship, Canada
• 2007 AstraZeneca Award in Organic Chemistry, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
• 2007 OBC-Lecture Award, Royal Society of Chemistry, London, UK
• 2007 Preis des Fonds der Chemischen Industrie, Verband der Chemischen Industrie (VCI), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
• 2006 100 Masterminds of Tomorrow, Germany
• 2006 Fellowship Award, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Japan
• 2006 Wiechert Lectureship, FU Berlin, Germany
• 2005 Novartis European Young Investigator Award in Chemistry, Novartis AG, Basel, Switzerland
• 2005 AstraZeneca European Lecturer 2005, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
• 2005 Lectureship Award, The Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry Japan (SSOCJ), Japan
• 2004 Dr. Lieseberg Prize, Faculty for Chemistry and Earth Science, University Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
• 2004 Lecturer Scholarship, Verband der Chemischen Industrie, VCI, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
• 2004 Degussa Prize for Chirality in Chemistry, Degussa Sonne/Mond Goldhandel GmbH, Munich, Germany
• 2003 Carl Duisberg Memorial Prize, Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker, Germany
• 2000 Synthesis-Synlett Journal Award, Synlett
• 1997 Feodor Lynen-Research Fellowship, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Bonn, Germany
• 1994 Nachwuchsförderungsgesetz (NaFöG)-Award, State of Berlin, Germany