[26.05.25] We were honored to welcome Prof. Jun Huang from the FZ Jülich and RWTH Aachen University to the University of Duisburg-Essen for an inspiring guest lecture titled:
"Potential of Density-Potential Functional Theoretic Models for Electrochemical Interfaces."

🎙️ Invited by Prof. Kai Exner and Prof. Corina Andronescu, this lecture brought deep theoretical insight into one of the most challenging frontiers in energy materials research: modeling electrocatalytic double layers under realistic electrochemical conditions.

Prof. Huang, who leads a Helmholtz Young Investigators Group at FZ Jülich and serves as a Junior Professor at RWTH Aachen, introduced his pioneering work on Density-Potential Functional Theory (DPFT) - a novel modeling framework built to overcome the limitations of traditional DFT approaches.

We are grateful to Prof. Huang for sharing his cutting-edge research and to all attendees for their active engagement in the Q&A-session. Events like this enrich our research environment and foster meaningful exchange at the intersection of theory, materials science, and energy research.

👏 Thank you, Prof. Huang, for an outstanding talk and for inspiring our community here at UDE!

[16.05.25] As local hosts, we were pleased to welcome Wiley to the University of Duisburg-Essen for a hands-on and inspiring Publishing Workshop.

The event brought together early-career researchers, doctoral candidates, and faculty members for an engaging session on two important topics:

🧠 AI Tools for Research & Publishing
Participants received a clear and thoughtful introduction to the practical use of AI tools to support their academic writing and research organization. Importantly, current publishing policies around AI use were discussed - an increasingly relevant topic across disciplines.

📝 Scientific Writing: Tips on Structure, Language & Clarity
Dr. Kira Welter, Editor-in-Chief of ChemPhysChem, offered valuable editorial insights on how to improve manuscript clarity, structure, and overall impact. Her advice, based on over 20 years of experience in scientific publishing, resonated strongly with our audience.

👏 We are especially grateful to Dr. Kira Welter for her time, expertise, and approachable style, as well as to the Wiley team for bringing this initiative to our campus.

We view events like this as essential to strengthening scientific communication and supporting the next generation of scholars. Thank you to all attendees who participated so actively - we hope you left with both inspiration and practical tools for your publishing journey.

[05.02.24] With a total of 42 participants, our project kick-off has been presented to a larger audience with exciting keynote speeches and fruitful discussions. Many thanks to our keynote speakers and participants for the great and interdisciplinary exchange!