The German Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry V. (DBG) has awarded Oliver Johannesen the 2026 DBG Master’s Prize for outstanding achievements in his Master’s thesis in the field of physical chemistry. The award ceremony took place during the colloquium at the Institute of Chemistry on 7 May 2026. The laudatory address was delivered by Prof. Dr Katharina Kohse-Höinghaus, honorary member and former president of the German Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry.

Oliver Johannesen studied for his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Chemistry at the Institute of Chemistry and completed his Master’s thesis in the research group led by Prof. Dr Katharina Al-Shamery on the topic ‘Preparation and characterisation of ligand-stabilised, bimetallic platinum-tin nanoparticles’. He developed a novel synthesis method for the bimetallic nanoparticles and investigated, among other things, the influence of the oxidation state of tin on the properties with a view to future catalytic applications.

Oliver Johannesen undertook a training programme as a chemical laboratory technician before commencing and completing his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes at the Institute of Chemistry.
Since October 2025, Oliver Johannesen has been pursuing his PhD in the Hybrid Catalysts Junior Research Group (led by Dr. Lars Mohrhusen). His research now focuses on the development of a novel, scalable synthetic route for titanium nitride-based nanomaterials for the photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide. This doctoral project is thus directly integrated into the “Su₂nCat-CO₂” project (Dr. Lars Mohrhusen), which investigates sustainable materials for the (photo-)catalytic utilisation of CO₂ as a sustainable raw material, thereby contributing to the development of climate-friendly chemical processes.