Professor Thomas Justus Schmidt from Switzerland is currently visiting DTU Energy Conversion on an Otto Mønsted guest professorship.
Prof. Thomas Justus Schmidt is Chair of Electrochemistry at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, and Head of Electrochemistry Laboratory at Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen, Switzerland, and he is widely considered as one of Switzerland’s biggest capacities in polymer electrolyte fuel cells electro catalysis of fuel cell reactions.
He has been invited to DTU Energy Conversion on an Otto Mønsted guest professorship by Professor Niels Bjerrum and Associate Professor Jens Oluf Jensen.
“Our lab in Switzerland is an electrochemistry lab, employing 55 persons with roughly 40% working on battery related topics, lithium batteries, lithium air, 5volt systems and similar projects. Another 60% are mainly working on polymer electrolyte fuel cells, water electrolysis and production of H2. Our research focus is on electrochemical energy conversion and storage, so we are closely connected to the kind of research, you are doing here at DTU Energy Conversion”, says Prof. Thomas Justus Schmidt.
"I think there is a lot of ways to do complimentary research and learn from each other. The main topic of this stay is to get to know each other in more detail and find ways to share our knowledge."
Prof. Thomas Justus Schmidt
Laying the foundation
DTU Energy Conversion and the Paul Scherrer Institute haven’t formally cooperated, but their respective scientists have met and talked at several conferences and harbors a mutual respect for the research and work of each other. Prof. Thomas Justus Schmidt sees lots of potential avenues of joint research.
“What we are doing in electrochemistry and what you are doing here is very similar, so I was very happy to accept the invitation to an Otto Mønsted-professorship”, says Prof. Thomas Justus Schmidt.
As Head of the Electrochemistry Laboratory, he won’t be able to spend three months in a row in Denmark, as he has his formal duties and a shop to run, so the guest-professorship has been divided into several periods divided over 2013-2015, each two-three weeks long. This first visit is a two week preparation stay in which he, Niels Bjerrum and Jens Oluf Jensen shall have time to find research-areas of common interest and ways to start a formal cooperation on the exchange of PhD-students, joint publications and research-projects.
Open minded talk
“I think there is a lot of ways to do complimentary research and learn from each other. The main topic of this stay is to get to know each other in more detail and find ways to share our knowledge, and one of the major benefits of being a guest here is an empty calendar. So I am inviting students as well as researchers to drop in for a talk, so we can learn from each other in an open minded way. I’ll also do some lectures, while I’m here.”
Professor Thomas Justus Schmidt can be visited at his small office at building 207 at Lyngby Campus, but he’ll also be visiting Risø Campus before heading back home to Switzerland the 10
th of August.