Prof. Dr. Birgit Esser
Professor of Organic Chemistry
Director, Institute of Organic Chemistry II and Advanced Materials
Ulm University
Albert-Einstein-Allee 11
89081 Ulm
Germany
Mail: birgit.esser[at]uni-ulm.de
ORCID-ID: 0000-0002-2430-1380
Curriculum Vitae
| since 2022 | Full Professor (W3) of Organic Chemistry, Ulm University, Germany |
| 2015–2022 | Associate Professor (W3) of Molecular/Organic Functional Materials, University of Freiburg, Germany |
| 2013–2015 |
Emmy Noether research group leader, Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Germany |
| 2012–2013 |
Liebig research group leader, Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Germany |
| 2009–2012 |
Leopoldina Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (USA) Research advisor: Prof. Timothy M. Swager |
| 2005–2008 |
Ph.D. research and dissertation at the University of Heidelberg, Germany Research advisor: Prof. Rolf Gleiter |
| 2004 |
Diploma thesis at the University of Heidelberg, Germany Research advisor: Prof. Rolf Gleiter |
| 2002–2003 | ERASMUS scholar, University of Bristol, UK |
| 2000–2004 | Diplom studies in Chemistry at the University of Heidelberg, Germany |
Awards and Fellowships
| 2023 | ERC Consolidator Grant |
| 2019 | Instructional Development Award for online course „Chemie Bootcamp“, University of Freiburg |
| 2015–2017 | Selected Member of the Fast-Track Program of the Robert-Bosch Foundation |
| 2014 | Thieme Chemistry Journal Award |
| 2013 | Emmy Noether Fellowship (German Research Foundation) |
| 2012 | Marie Curie Career Integration Grant (CIG), EU |
| 2012–2013 | Liebig Fellowship, Chemical Industry Trust |
| 2009 | Ruprecht-Karls Award, Foundation of the University of Heidelberg (Thesis award) |
| 2009–2012 | Postdoctoral Fellowship, German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina |
| 2005–2007 | Graduate Fellowship, German National Academic Foundation |
| 2004 | Dr. Sophie Bernthsen Award for Chemistry Diplom |
| 2002 | Erasmus Scholarship for two academic terms at the University of Bristol, UK, European Union |
| 2001 | Göring Foundation Award for undergraduate studies |
| 1999 | Chemical Industry Trust Award for best High School degree in Chemistry |
Professional Activities (selected)
| from 2026 | Designated Spokesperson of Cluster of Excellence: Post Lithium Storage (POLiS), Ulm University |
| 2025–2026 | Editorial Advisory Board member, ACS Applied Polymer Materials |
| since 2023 | CELEST Representative of Research Field Post-lithium batteries |
| since 2023 | PI in Collaborative Research Center TRR234 cataLight |
| since 2022 | International Advisory Board member for the International Symposium on Novel Aromatic Compounds (ISNA) |
| since 2022 | Associate PI of the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU) |
| since 2022 | Member, CELEST (Center for Electrochemical Energy Storage, Ulm & Karlsruhe) |
| since 2022 |
Member of the Steering Committee, Principal Investigator (PI) and coordinator of Research Unit X in the Cluster of Excellence: Post Lithium Storage (POLiS), Ulm University |
| 2021–2022 | Speaker of the Saltus! group "Interfaces and Interphases in Energy Materials", University of Freiburg |
| 2021–2024 | Associate Editor, Journal of Physical Organic Chemistry |
| since 2021 | Advisory Editor, Energy Materials |
| since 2019 | Co-coordinator of the DFG-funded Priority Program "Polymer-based batteries", SPP 2248 |
| since 2019 |
Member and Principal Investigator in Cluster of Excellence livMatS, University of Freiburg (Associated member since 2022) |
| 2019–2022 | Deputy member of the Senate, University of Freiburg |
| 2019–2022 | Member, Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies (FIT) |
| 2019–2022 | Personal Tutor, German National Academic Foundation |
| 2015–2022 | Member, Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF) |
