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Under the motto "Colourful Chemistry," the JCF (Young Chemistry Forum) of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) will hold its spring symposium in Cologne from March 10 to 13. The Conference is aimed at the young chemistry community from Germany and abroad. Around 400 scientists are expected to attend. The program includes lectures, workshops, an industry exhibition, and a poster session. A special highlight this year is the inaugural presentation of the JCF Best Supervisor Award.
For 28 years, the JCF Spring Symposium has been one of the largest conferences in Europe by and for young researchers. The event is hosted annually by different regional forums of the JCF, the junior research organization of the German Chemical Society (GDCh). In 2026, the regional forums of Cologne, Düsseldorf, Aachen, and Bonn took over the organization and jointly developed a diverse program. In addition to internationally renowned scientists, the event features presentations by junior research group leaders and young researchers.
The motto "Colourful Chemistry" alludes to the breadth of chemistry, the diversity of topics covered, and the variety of people and perspectives within the community. This is also reflected in the high-caliber scientific program. Among the plenary speakers are Professor Dr. Klaus Müllen, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research; Professor Luisa De Cola, University of Milan, Italy; and Associate Professor Joleen Masschelein, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. Professor André K. Isaacs, a chemist well-known from social media, from the College of the Holy Cross, USA, will also give a plenary lecture on science communication. Conference attendees can participate in various workshops, and the diverse social program offers opportunities for informal networking. This year, the national Three Minute Thesis (3MT) final will also take place during the Conference . In the 3MT, doctoral candidates present their research in just three minutes using a single static slide. From March 10th to 12th, the GDCh career service will also be present with a stand and will answer questions about Career and starting a career.
As a special highlight, the new JCF Best Supervisor Award will be presented for the first time. Good supervision is crucial for the success, motivation, and well-being of doctoral candidates. This new JCF award recognizes supervisors with exceptional dedication and a modern leadership culture. The first JCF Supervisor Award goes to Prof. Dr. Lena Daumann of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf for her holistic approach to supervision in chemistry. In supporting her staff, she also considers aspects beyond the purely academic realm, for example, when she found individual solutions for all doctoral candidates during her research group's relocation. As a certified mental health trainer, she actively promotes the well-being of her team. Regular development discussions and soft skills training complement her approach. Daumann also champions diversity, inclusion, and the FAIR principles (open handling of research data).
Lena Daumann, born in 1983, received her doctorate in chemistry from Heidelberg University in 2013. She then pursued further research at the University of Queensland, Australia. A Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship took her to the University of California, Berkeley, USA, and back to Heidelberg University. From 2016, Daumann was Professor of Bioinorganic Chemistry at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, before assuming the Chair of Bioinorganic Chemistry at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in 2023. In 2019, she received the Ars legendi Faculty Prize for Excellence in Chemistry university teaching , and in 2020, an ERC Starting Grant. She has been an elected member of the German Research Foundation (DFG) Review Board since 2024.
Further information can be found at https://symposium.jcf.io
The German Chemical Society) , with approximately 28,000 members, is one of the largest chemical societies worldwide. It promotes scientific work, research, and teaching, as well as the exchange and dissemination of new scientific findings. The GDCh supports the creation of networks, transdisciplinary and international collaboration, and continuous education and professional development in schools, universities, and the workplace. The GDCh has 33 GDCh structures and 60 local sections and regional forums of the JCF (Young Chemistry Forum) at almost all university locations. Nationwide, the JCF provides a platform for around 10,000 young members of the GDCh.
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Around 350 chemists will gather at the University of Duisburg-Essen from March 2nd to 4th for the 2026 Chemiedozententagung (CDT). At the event, the German Chemical Society (GDCh) will award the prestigious Carl-Duisberg Memorial Award to Junior Professor Dr. Markus Suta of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. The GDCh's Association of German University Professors of Chemistry (ADUC) will each present an ADUC Prize to Junior Professor Dr. Schirin Hanf of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Dr. Charalampos (Babis) Pappas of the University of Freiburg, and Junior Professor Dr. Alex J. Plajer of the University of Bayreuth.
The Carl-Duisberg Memorial Award, endowed with 7,500 euros, was established in 1936 to support young university lecturers. Markus Suta receives the award for his research on luminescent materials. The junior professor from Düsseldorf is considered one of the world's leading experts in luminescence thermometry – a method in which luminescent substances are used to measure temperature. He combines experimental chemistry with physical models at the highest level. His design principles for luminescent thermometers are considered groundbreaking. He impressed the selection committee with his distinctive scientific profile, numerous publications, successful acquisition of external funding, and his remarkable commitment to teaching.
Markus Suta, born in Siegen in 1990, studied chemistry at the University of Siegen, graduating with a Master of Science degree in 2012. He then completed a second degree in physics at the same university, graduating in 2019. He received his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Siegen in 2017. Following his doctorate, he worked as a research assistant at the University of Siegen and subsequently as a postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Since May 2021, he has been a junior professor of inorganic photoactive materials at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. In 2023, he was elected to the Young Academy of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences and Arts and has received numerous awards. He has published 83 peer-reviewed scientific papers and has secured approximately €1.43 million in external funding.
During the Conference , the ADUC will award ADUC prizes to one young female scientist and two young male scientists. The prizes, each worth 4000 euros, are awarded for establishing an independent field of research in chemistry.
Junior Professor Dr. Schirin Hanf, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), has been awarded an ADUC prize for the development of catalysts that combine the advantages of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts and their application in industrially relevant reactions. After completing her studies in Leipzig, Dr. Hanf earned her doctorate in 2019 from the University of Cambridge, UK, with funding from the German Chemical Industry Fund and the German National Academic Foundation. Her doctoral research focused on developing a phosphine ligand library, investigating coordination compounds, and employing these complexes in homogeneous catalysis. She then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at hte (a subsidiary of BASF SE) in Heidelberg, further developing her expertise in heterogeneous catalysis and reaction engineering. At the end of 2020, she joined KIT, where, since 2021, she has been building an independent working group at the interface of molecular and solid-state catalyst systems as a tenure-track professor.
Dr. Charalampos (Babis) Pappas, University of Freiburg, is also being honored in recognition of his work in organic systems chemistry, which explores the role of phosphates beyond their traditional biological functions and integrates them into dynamic chemical reaction networks. Charalampos (Babis) Pappas studied chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Ioannina, Greece, until 2012 and received his PhD in 2016 from the University of Strathclyde, UK, for research on peptide nanomaterials, which he also conducted at the City University of New York, USA. He then undertook a research stay at the University of Groningen, Netherlands, where he investigated self-replicating molecules and emergence. Since 2020, he has led a junior research group at the University of Freiburg, associated with the Cluster of Excellence livMatS. His work has already been recognized with awards including the Bachem AtPS Award and an ERC Starting Grant.
Junior Professor Dr. Alex J. Plajer, University of Bayreuth, has been awarded an ADUC Prize for establishing inorganically inspired polymer chemistry, which integrates sulfur chemistry, catalysis, and supramolecular self-assembly into a single research concept. Alex J. Plajer is a Junior Professor of macromolecular chemistry at the University of Bayreuth. He studied chemistry in Heidelberg and received his PhD from the University of Cambridge, UK. He was subsequently a Fellow at the University of Oxford, UK, and a Liebig Fellow at the Free University of Berlin before moving to Bayreuth. His research focuses on polymerization catalysis and the synthesis of sustainable polymer structures that integrate main group elements and metal centers, and is supported, among other things, by an ERC Starting Grant.
The Chemiedozententagung) is organized by the Association of German University Professors of Chemistry (ADUC) of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) and brings together early-career academics from all areas of chemistry. Postdoctoral researchers, junior professors, and scholarship holders use the Conference to present their research and exchange ideas. Since 2025, the CDT has also featured short presentations of results from postdoctoral research or planned independent research projects.
Further information about the Conference can be found at www.gdch.de/cdt2026
The German Chemical Society (GDCh), with approximately 28,000 members, is one of the largest chemical societies worldwide. It has 33 GDCh structures and awards numerous prizes for outstanding achievements in chemical research. The GDCh's long-established Association of German University Professors of Chemistry (ADUC) annually recognizes up to three early-career researchers (during their habilitation, fellowship, or junior professorship) for establishing an independent field of research.
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last modified: 02.02.2026 10:29 H from Translator
