Dr. Georg Bieker awarded with Ewald-Wicke-Prize 2020
The researcher Dr. Georg Bieker has been awarded the renowned Ewald-Wicke Prize in recognition of his scientific achievements at MEET Battery Research Center. The German Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry (DBG) and the Ewald-Wicke-Foundation thus honor his pioneering research on lithium- and magnesium-sulphur batteries. Born in Warendorf, he accepted the award at the DBG's digital general assembly in mid-November.
Outstanding Research on Novel Battery Systems
His achievements "in the clarification of fundamental, mechanistic and application-oriented studies of both lithium- and magnesium-sulphur batteries" are cited by the award committee as the reason for the prize. In his outstanding work he improved significantly the understanding of the processes in these with regard to sustainable raw materials and high energy density desirable battery technologies.
Since the beginning of his scientific career, Bieker concentrated on research on novel battery systems. Already during his Bachelor's degree, he researched on novel polymer electrolytes at the Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry at the University of Münster. For his Master's degree, the today 30-year-old moved to the neighbouring MEET Battery Research Center and investigated intensively the lithium metal anode used in solid and lithium-sulphur batteries. In his PhD thesis he focused on novel magnesium-sulphur batteries and achieved pioneering results on the electrochemical processes at the magnesium metal anode and the sulphur cathode. Bieker deepened his research with research stays at the institute of Prof. Doron Aurbach at Bar-Ilan University in Israel and at the institute of Prof. Bruno Scrosati at La Sapienza University in Rome. In addition, he authored joint publications with groups from the United States and Israel. Today, as a researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) in Berlin, he supports German and European policy makers in the transformation towards a pollutant-free and climate neutral transport sector.
About the renowned Science Prize
The German Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry and the Ewald-Wicke-Foundation award the prize annually to a distinguished junior scientist up to 35 years of age for outstanding scientific achievements in the area of applied physical chemistry. It is awarded in memory of the German chemist Ewald Wicke (1914-2000) who worked for almost two and a half decades as Director at the Physical-Chemical Institute of the University of Münster.