The Young Investigator Network is the platform and democratic representation of interests for independent junior research group leaders and junior professors at the Karlsruhe Institut of Technology.
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How biodiverse are different landscapes, and how quickly is this changing? These seemingly simple questions are often difficult to answer in practice. The project Bio-O-Ton funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, therefore, takes a new approach: “We combine audio recordings from citizen-science projects such as Dawn Chorus with high-resolution satellite data and analyze them using modern machine learning methods”, explains project leader Susanne Benz. “Our goal is to develop a method that makes ecological changes visible at an earlier stage, reliably captures trends, and supports authorities, researchers, and the public in protecting valuable habitats.” Participate with a sound recording!
Bio-O-Ton
In 2026, the Association of German University Professors of Chemistry (ADUC) awarded one of the most prestigious prizes for early-career researchers in chemistry, the ADUC Prize, to Schirin Hanf. They recognized her work on transition metal catalysts involving p-block elements and their application in industrially relevant processes. Moreover, she received Jochen Block Prize 2026 of the German Catalysis Society. To learn more about her research, check out the latest publication in Materials Advances, showcasing a nickel-based catalyst as a cost-effective, robust, and sustainable alternative for hydrogenation with strong potential for industrial-scale applications.
Materials Advances
For the chemical industry, rare precious metals are essential as catalysts to accelerate chemical reactions. Iron compounds represent a sustainable alternative that is abundant in nature. In contrast to many precious metals, however, iron does not have an available starting material in its reactive state. Oliver Townrow and his group have now developed a mild synthetic method for the selective production of single positively charged iron complexes. Thus, they no longer depend on the use of strong reducing agents which are hazardous and require specialist handling. The new process enables them to directly produce a range of known and novel iron complexes that work as catalysts in industrially relevant transformations.
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