Benjamin Balke-Grünewald studied mathematics and chemistry at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz and did his doctorate there in 2008 on "Special Heusler Compounds for Spintronic Applications". After his Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at UC Berkeley in Berkeley, CA, USA, he habilitated at JGU Mainz on the subject of "Material Design of Heusler Compounds for Thermoelectric Applications" in 2018 and he is also a private lecturer there. Since December 2018 he has been head of the Hanau site and head of the department for "Energy Materials" at the Fraunhofer IWKS. His team develops recycling processes and circular economy concepts for all important components of the energy transition: batteries, fuel cells, solar cells and electric motors.