Lively exchange at the 2025 alumni meeting

Prof. Dr. Dirk Burdinski, Vice Dean for Teaching and Studies, opened the event with a diverse overview of current events on the Leverkusen campus. He reported that, following several relocations, all laboratories have been fully operational again since March 2025 and expressed his delight at the increased presence of research assistants and the stable student numbers at the Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences.

‘We want to bring our students into contact with companies at an early stage and look forward to continuing our successful cooperation,’ said Prof. Dr. Dirk Burdinski, concluding his welcoming address to the guests. He also reminded them of the Germany Scholarship and asked those present to actively promote this funding opportunity in their companies and businesses.

Master's student Pascal Scheidel then provided fascinating insights into the world of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which he had already explored in his bachelor's thesis. His presentation, entitled ‘Noble networks that move the world – atomic thinking,’ illustrated how these materials can be specifically functionalised and synthesised for a wide range of applications. He particularly emphasised the enormous modularity of MOFs, which results from the variety of usable building blocks and synthesis conditions and has a decisive influence on their application potential.

In addition, doctoral students from the faculty presented their latest research findings on posters. These were the subject of lively discussion and offered interesting insights into the latest scientific developments.

At the same time, the alumni had the opportunity to explore the new laboratories on the Leverkusen campus. Prof. Dr. Birgit Glüsen provided guests with a detailed overview of the laboratories dedicated to researching interface phenomena. Prof. Dr. Markus Pietsch offered fascinating insights into the biochemical laboratory area. Prof. Dr. Jan Wilkens guided the participants through the technical centre and the colloid chemistry laboratory, among other things, while Prof. Dr. Heiko Schiffter-Weinle presented the pharmaceutical technology laboratories. The tours were rounded off by Prof. Dr. Yvonne Böhler. She presented the ProjectLab – a project lecture hall for group work – and engaged in lively discussions with former students about career paths and the latest industry developments.

The alumni meeting ended with a convivial get-together in the cafeteria, where guests continued to engage in lively discussions and make new contacts long into the evening.