REACH Thesis Award for Dr Simon Schlehuber
At this year’s Science to Start-up Convention hosted by the REACH Euregio Start-up Center, Dr. Simon Schlehuber received the REACH Thesis Award for his doctoral thesis, which he completed this year at the Institute of Business Chemistry. The award recognises applied science and research whose findings can serve as a basis for product development and innovation.
The jury honoured Simon Schlehuber’s innovative thesis on the assessment of clean technologies, ranging from autonomous hydrogen-powered boats and agricultural robots to the recycling of lithium-ion batteries. The research addresses a key challenge facing many clean-tech start-ups: how can new clean technologies be assessed for their sustainability, economic viability and practical applicability when real-world data is limited or not yet available?
To address this challenge, Simon Schlehuber developed a modelling approach in close collaboration with clean-tech start-ups. It combines Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and technical bottom-up models. This makes it possible to consider environmental and economic factors together and to compare new technologies directly with existing solutions. Simon Schlehuber also used sensitivity analyses to identify key technical and economic factors for further optimisation, helping start-ups develop their technologies.
The dissertation’s strong practical focus is reflected in two research projects that grew out of direct exchanges with start-ups and visits to their sites. Based on these exchanges, scientific models and analyses were developed and discussed with the founders before publication to ensure their practical perspectives were taken into account.
The doctoral thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr Stephan von Delft of the Institute of Business Chemistry at the University of Münster.
Further information:
Publications from the thesis:
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Schlehuber, S., Gutsch, M., Stegemann, L., Hendrickson, T., & von Delft, S. (2026). Techno-economic and environmental assessment of next-generation battery-powered farming robots. Nature Communications, 17, 11336. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-78281-7.
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Schlehuber, S., Gutsch, M., Kronemeyer, N., Frieden, F., & von Delft, S. (2025). Assessment of environmental impacts and costs for hydrogen-powered cargo shipping in Europe. Communications Engineering, 4, 50. doi: 10.1038/s44172-025-00388-4.
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Schlehuber, S., Hemmelder, A., & von Delft, S. (2025). Uncovering collaboration and knowledge areas in lithium-ion battery recycling. EES Batteries, 1(5), 989-1340. doi: 10.1039/D5EB00056D.