Klaus Müllen

With a career spanning over five decades, Prof. Müllen is internationally recognized for his pioneering contributions to organic and polymer chemistry, functional materials, and nanoscience.

Prof. Müllen began his academic journey studying chemistry at the University of Cologne, followed by doctoral work at the University of Basel under Professor Gerson. His postdoctoral training and habilitation were completed at ETH Zurich with Professor J.F.M. Oth. He subsequently held professorial positions at the Universities of Cologne and Mainz before being appointed in 1989 as a Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society and Director at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research—a position from which he significantly advanced the global frontiers of polymer and materials chemistry.

One of the most cited world researchers and visionary leader, Prof. Müllen has authored an extensive body of work. Based on Google Scholar, his h-index is 208. Among others, he published over 60 papers in Science and Nature family journals. He has served on the editorial boards of many of the world’s leading journals, including for example, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Accounts of Chemical Research or Chemistry of Materials.

His strategic vision and extraordinary scientific achievements have been recognized in Germany and internationally. Let highlight that prof. Mullen worked as President of the German Chemical Society, President of the German Association for the Advancement of Science and Medicine. He also worked in advisory and evaluation panels of many institutions such as the German Research Foundation, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and many other scientific academies and evaluation panels across Europe and Asia.

Prof. Müllen’s scientific excellence has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including the Max Planck Research Prize, the ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry, the Karl Ziegler Award of the German Chemical Society, the Spiers Memorial Award of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Leonardo da Vinci Award of the European Academy of Sciences. He holds over ten honorary doctorates and professorships from institutions worldwide and is a member of several esteemed academies, including the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Academia Europaea, and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Throughout his career, Prof. Müllen has demonstrated a deep commitment to mentoring the next generation of scientists and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. His work continues to inspire advances in materials for electronics, energy, and biotechnology.