Research

Major Scientific Interests: Physics and Chemistry of Solid Surfaces and Interfaces, Structure and Dynamics of Oxide Surfaces, Development of Experimental Techniques for Surface Analysis, Catalysis and Model Catalysis, Nanostructures and Clusters

Hans-Joachim Freund has made sustained and groundbreaking contributions towards the development of model systems of heterogeneous catalysts which may be studied at the atomic level. Preparation and characterization of single crystalline ultrathin oxide films which can be used as supports for active components have been pioneered. This approach has since then been adopted by many other research groups worldwide.

The group at the Fritz-Haber-Institute of the Max Planck Society has become the leading research team in studying supported metal and oxide nanoparticles with respect to electronic structure and chemical reactivity. The full repertoire of surface analytical spectroscopy techniques is employed and even new experimental techniques and instruments are being developed to tackle problems in surface physics, chemistry and catalysis.

Career

• since 2006 Honorary Professor at the School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, UK
• since 1998 Honorary Professor at the Humboldt University Berlin, Germany
• since 1997 Honorary Professor at the Technical University Berlin, Germany
• since 1997 Honorary Professor at the Free University Berlin, Germany
• since 1997 Honorary Professor at the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
• since 1996 Director and Scientific Member at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Germany
• 1987-1996 Professor and Chair at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
• 1983 Associate Professor at University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
• 1983 Private Docent at Institute for Organic Chemistry, University Cologne, Germany
• 1983 Habilitation (Private Docent) at University Cologne, Germany
• 1981-1983 Scientific Assistent at University Cologne, Germany
• 1979-1981 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania and Xerox Corporation, Webster, USA
• 1978 Ph.D. at University Cologne, Germany
• 1976-1978 Ph.D. studies at University Cologne, Germany
• 1969-1975 Studies in chemistry and physics at University, Germany

Projects

• since 2006 UniCat (Cluster of Excellence, German Research Foundation(DFG))
• since 2009 BMBF “SMART” (Spectromicroscopy at BESSY)
• 2000-2006 DFG-PP 1093 “Dynamik von Elektronentransferprozessen an Grenzflächen“
• 2000-2006 DFG-PP 1091 “Brückenschläge in der Heterogenen Katalyse“
• 1999-2008 DFG-SFB(CRC) 546 “Übergangsmetallaggregate“
• 1990-1996 DFG Forschergruppe “Modellkatalysatoren“

Functions

• since 2013 Member of the Scientific Board of the Indian Institute of Technology Indore
• since 2013 Member of the International  Selection Committee of the Millennium Technology Prize, Technology Academy Finland
• since 2012 Member of the “Perspektivenkommission” of the Section Chemistry, Physics and Technology, Max Planck Society
• since 2012 Member of the des Editorial Board "Cataysis Reviews"
• since 2012 Member of the International Program Committee of the Millennium ScienceInitiative, Chile
• since 2012 Member of the Advisory Board of the Karl Ziegler Foundation of the German Chemical Society
• since 2011 Member of the Supervisory Board, Karlsruher Institute for Technology (KIT), Germany
• since 2011 Member International Advisory Board "The Chemical Record (TCR)"
• since 2011 Member Advisory Board of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Nanostructure Science and Technology CINSaT, University of Kassel, Germany
• since 2011 Member of the Editorial Advisory Board of “ChemPhysChem”
• since 2011 Member of the Scientific Council, Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Germany
• since 2010 Member of the International Advisory Board of the European Conference on Surface Science
• since 2010 Member of the Advisory Board of “Journal of Physical Chemistry”
• since 2009 Member of the Board of Trustees of the Hermann und Elise born Heckmann Wentzel Foundation, Germany
• since 2009 Scientific Council of the Karlsruhe House of Young Scientists (KHYS), Germany
• since 2009 Member of the International Advisory Board of “ChemCatChem”
• 2009-2011 Member of the Scientific Council of the Helmholtz Center Berlin for Materials and Energies, Germany
• since 2009 Member, Committee for European Research Policy associated with the Hochschulrektorenkonferenz
• since 2008 Member, Scientific Advisory Board of Institute for Molecules and Materials (IMM) Nijmegen, The Netherlands
• since 2008 Member, Board of the Cluster of Excellence “Unifying Concepts in Catalysis” (UniCat), Berlin, Germany
• since 2008 Member of the International Advisory Board of the Nanoscience Center, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
• since 2007 Chairman of the University Council, University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
• since 2006 Member of the Board of Trustees of the Fund of the German Chemical Industry

Honours and Memberships

• 2012 Award for Service 2012 of the European Association for Chemical and Molecular Sciences (EUCheMS)
• 2012 Blaise Pascal Medal in Material Science of the European Academy of Sciences
• 2012 Dinesh O. Shah Lecture in Surface Science 2012, University of Florida, Chemical Engineering Department, USA
• 2012 Robert Bunsen Lecture 2012, German Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry (DBG)
• 2011 Karl Ziegler Award, German Chemical Society and Karl Ziegler Foundation
• 2011 Arthur D. Little Lecturer in Physical Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
• 2011 G. B. Kistiakowsky Lecturer, Harvard Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology,USA
• since 2009 Member, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
• 2008 Hassel Lecture of the Norwegian Chemical Society
• 2008 Invitational Lecture Series, UOP Honeywell, Germany
• 2008 V. N. Ipatieff Lecturer, Northwestern University Center for Catalysis and Surface Science, USA
• 2007 Gabor A. Somorjai Award of the American Chemical Society for Creative Research in Catalysis
• 2006/07 Centenary Award and Lecturer, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK
• 2005 Langmuir Lecturer, 230th ACS Meeting, USA
• 2005 Malcolm Dole Lecturer, Northwestern University, USA
• since 2005 Fellow of the Institute of Physics, UK
• since 2004 Foreign Member of the Academia Brasileira de Ciências
• 2004-2008 Research Award in Gold, Fund of the German Chemical Industry
• 2002 William Draper Harkins Lecturer, University of Chicago, USA
• 2001 Ford Motor Company Invitational Lecture Series, Ford Research Laboratory, USA
• 2001 Frontiers in Chemistry Lecturer, Texas A&M University, USA
• 2001 Fellow of the American Physical Society
• since 1998 Member, Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
• since 1996 Member, Academia Europaea
• 1995 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Award of the German Research Foundation (DFG)
• 1979-1981 Post doctoral fellowship of the German Research Foundation
• 1974-1977 Fellowships during undergraduate and graduate studies of the German National Academic Foundation