Dr. Lars Longwitz

Lars studied chemistry in Rostock and became fascinated with the huge impact catalysts have in our lives and their intricate mechanisms, so he joined the Leibniz-Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT) in Rostock (Germany). He worked on catalyst development for carbon dioxide utilization during his Master’s research in 2015. He decided to change the field of research to organocatalysis for his PhD, specifically phosphane redox catalysis. The main goal of his PhD research was the development of new methods and catalysts based on precise analytical analysis and mechanistic understanding. The LIKAT was also a great place for scientific collaborations and Lars worked with different groups on projects concerning tandem cobalt catalysis and the environmental impact of glyphosate. After obtaining his PhD in 2020, he joined Prof. Birgit Piechulla’s lab for a few months to work on naturally occurring terpene synthases. Besides biocatalysis, he also completed a PostDoc in C-H activation catalysis in Prof. Bert Maes's lab in Antwerp. Then in 2022, he joined the Roelfes's lab to combine his fascination for the versatility of chemical catalyst and the evolvability of enzymes. He developed artificial enzymes based on boron and could establish boron catalysis in enzymes. Since 2025 he joined the University of Hamburg as a Lecturer is building his own research group focused on evolvable catalysis.