Speakers

PD Dr Benjamin Balke-Grünewald got his first university degree in mathematics and chemistry at the University of Mainz, before going on to complete a PhD in materials research in spintronics at the same institution and taking up a postdoctoral position there. Following a research stay at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on a Feodor Lynen Fellowship and the successful completion of his habilitation, he took up his current post as Head of Department/Head of Division in the Energy Materials division at Fraunhofer IWKS in Hanau. His academic career is rounded off by the successful acquisition of over €30 million in third-party funding for regional, national and international projects, a large number of his own publications, nearly 9,000 citations and a H-Index of 45. As a long-standing head of department, Benjamin Balke-Grünewald is distinguished by his excellent leadership qualities and co-founded Viridis Recycling GmbH to facilitate the industrial implementation of the recycling technology developed by his team.