Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy

Search

News

In the spotlight

Prizes and Awards

Discover publications

Appointment procedures

>Screens in the Chemistry Building showing current events<

Save the Date

DPhG Lectures

The programme for the DPhG lectures in the winter term 26/27 is now available!

B. Sc. Graduation Ceremony

When? 27 November 2026, starting at 17.00 Uhr
Where? Chemistry Lecture Hall (HS Chemie)
Important: Please confirm your attendance by emailing christine.disch@cup.uni-freiburg.de (stating the number of people attending).

In the spotlight

Hands-on science

Science Days 2026

At the Science Days 2026, held on the grounds of Europapark in Rust, the three-day event centred on hands-on research, technology and the natural sciences. The Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy was also represented there, offering exciting hands-on experiments and insights into the apprenticeships for chemical laboratory technicians and precision mechanics.

“Vergatterung” 29.10.2026

Congratulations to all PhD graduates!

Probably the faculty’s finest tradition: the “Vergatterung” of graduates who, having received their doctoral certificates, may now officially use the title “Dr. rer. nat.” Twelve newly qualified PhD graduates were ceremoniously escorted to Münsterplatz in custom-designed carriages and wearing doctoral caps after the certificate presentation – where they delivered a short speech. We offer our warmest congratulations and wish them all the very best for the future!

Interdisciplinary conference

Between Molecules and Morality

On 12 and 13 October, the University of Freiburg hosted the interdisciplinary conference ‘Between Molecules and Morals – Ethics in Chemistry and Pharmacy’. Researchers and experts from the fields of chemistry, pharmacy, biology, philosophy, ethics, education and theology gathered from across Germany to explore how ethical reflection in chemical and pharmaceutical practice can be shaped beyond the scope of traditional technology assessment.

Biophysical Coffee Meeting

Caffeine fueled Biophysical afternoon

What happens when a physicist, a cell biologist, and an engineer sit down at the same table?
At the Biophysical Coffee Meeting Freiburg, new ideas start to brew! On the sunny afternoon of 2 October 2026, scientists from across the city gathered at the Chemistry building for short talks and open discussion.

Open Day with “Die Maus”

Türen auf mit der Maus

Together with CIBSS and SFB1381, the Cryo-EM Facility participated in the annual event promoted by the popular TV-program “Sendung mit der Maus”.
At the Life Imaging Center (LIC), kids from age 6-10 and their parents learned about microscopy and how it helps with understanding life and nature.

Funding for an Innovative Teaching Concept

Innovative Teaching –Shaping the Future

Redesigning the clinical pharmacy curriculum and developing transferable teaching concepts – that is the goal of the subproject “Skills for the Future – Rethinking Clinical Pharmacy,” which will receive approximately €670,000 in funding over the next four years from the foundation for “Innovation in der Hochschullehre”.

Meeting for early-career research group leaders

BioOrganic Meeting 2026

From 9 to 11 September 2026, the BioOrganic Meeting for early-career research group leaders took place in Freiburg. More than 40 early-career research group leaders from five countries came together to exchange ideas, discuss issues and network.

Germany’s largest conference on organic chemistry

ORCHEM 2026 in Freiburg

The 24^th ORCHEM took place at the University of Freiburg from 7 to 9 September. The international conference covers the entire spectrum of organic chemistry – and was once again a resounding success.

Long-established football tournament

Husemann Cup 2026

Once again, teams from the Chemistry Departments, the TF, the FMF and the PSI came together to compete against each other in the Husemann Cup. This year’s winners were the ‘Ente Patties’ team from the PSI – congratulations on a well-deserved victory!

Science and Community

Research Day 2026

With talks, an interactive science fair and plenty of opportunities for discussion, this year’s Research Day once again brought together people from the worlds of science, higher education, schools and the general public.

Digital data science in chemistry and pharmacy degree programmes

Funding for an innovative educational concept

The Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy at the University of Freiburg has been awarded a grant from the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie (FCI) for the project “DigiChemJN – Digital Chemistry Teaching with Jupyter Notebooks”. The approved proposal aims to modernise training in chemical data science and embed it permanently within the curriculum.

Prizes and Awards

Eine junge Frau mit großer runder Brille und langen dunkeln Haaren assistiert zwei Schülerinnen bei Experimenten. Alle drei sitzen an einem Tisch, von den Schülerinnen sieht man nur Hinterkopf und Arme, während die junge Frau sich über den Tisch lehnt. Die beiden Schülerinnen pipettieren aus Erlenmeyerkolben mit bunten Flüssigkeiten. Weitere solcher Kolben stehen auf dem Tisch.

Marianne-Baudler-Preis

Prof. Dr. Ingo Krossing has been honoured with distinguished prize

As part of the GDCh Conference on Inorganic Chemistry, Prof. Dr. Ingo Krossing will be honoured on 7 September 2026 with the Marianne Baudler Prize, worth 7,500 euros. He is receiving the prize for his outstanding research in the field of inorganic chemistry, which covers an extremely broad range of topics and in which he is regarded as one of the leading figures in every area.

Eine junge Frau mit großer runder Brille und langen dunkeln Haaren assistiert zwei Schülerinnen bei Experimenten. Alle drei sitzen an einem Tisch, von den Schülerinnen sieht man nur Hinterkopf und Arme, während die junge Frau sich über den Tisch lehnt. Die beiden Schülerinnen pipettieren aus Erlenmeyerkolben mit bunten Flüssigkeiten. Weitere solcher Kolben stehen auf dem Tisch.

IOCF Zen-ichi Yoshida Lectureship

Prof. Dr. Daniel B. Werz receives prestigious award

During his visiting professorship in Kyoto, Japan, Prof. Dr. Daniel B. Werz (Institute of Organic Chemistry) was awarded the prestigious IOCF Zen-ichi Yoshida Lectureship. As part of this, he delivered three research lectures at various locations in Kyoto and Osaka. The chair of the selection committee, Prof. Michinori Suginome, presented Prof. Daniel B. Werz with the corresponding plaque.

Eine junge Frau mit großer runder Brille und langen dunkeln Haaren assistiert zwei Schülerinnen bei Experimenten. Alle drei sitzen an einem Tisch, von den Schülerinnen sieht man nur Hinterkopf und Arme, während die junge Frau sich über den Tisch lehnt. Die beiden Schülerinnen pipettieren aus Erlenmeyerkolben mit bunten Flüssigkeiten. Weitere solcher Kolben stehen auf dem Tisch.

ADUC Lecture Prize 2026

Dr. Tobias Schnitzer’s award-winning lecture

This year, Dr. Tobias Schnitzer attended the Chemistry Lecturers’ Conference in Duisburg-Essen for the first time – and returned not only with plenty of fresh ideas: alongside technical discussions and meetings with colleagues from all over Germany, he also received a lecture award from the GDCh.

For excellence in research

Dr. Charalampos (Babis) Pappas receives ADUC-Prize from the GDCh

Dr. Pappas has been a junior research group leader at the University of Freiburg since 2022 and was honoured by the GDCh Working Group of German University Professors of Chemistry (ADUC). The award ceremony took place during the Chemistry Lecturers’ Conference at the University of Duisburg-Essen, where Dr Pappas also had the opportunity to present his research. The prize, worth €4,000, was awarded “in recognition of his work in organic systems chemistry, which rethinks phosphates beyond their traditional biological roles and integrates them into dynamic chemical reaction networks”.
This is not the first prize for the chemist, whose work has already been honoured with, among others, the Bachem AtPS Award and an ERC Starting Grant.

Conducting research and networking internationally

Prof. Dr. Daniel B. Werz has been awarded a prestigious visiting professorship in Kyoto

Prof. Dr. Daniel B. Werz is a professor for organic chemistry. His research focuses on the development of methods for stressed systems, as well as in dye and fluorophore chemistry. As part of the Japan Gateway: Kyoto University Top Global Programme, he has been invited to take up a visiting professorship at Kyoto University.
From 7 to 18 April, he is giving lectures and research presentations there and, in this context, also visits neighbouring universities. For many years, Prof. Werz has maintained close academic ties with Kyoto, which have already resulted in a doctoral student exchange and joint publications.

€1.5 million in funding

Sustainable chemistry with the help of artificial intelligence

The chemist Dr. Tobias Schnitzer has received €1.5 million from the Vector Foundation to develop sustainable amidation reactions. These reactions do not require toxic reagents and are highly energy-efficient. Dr. Schnitzer also makes use of artificial intelligence in his research.

Discover publications

One-Step Access to Ultra-Bright Macrocyclic Oligo-BODIPYs

The Werz research group has developed a new method for linking several fluorescent BODIPY dyes into ring-shaped macrocycles in a single reaction step.

These novel molecules exhibit unusual optical properties that arise from the interaction and spatial arrangement of the individual dye building blocks.

Biocatalytic synthesis of 4′,5′-dehydronucleosides

S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolases (SAHHs) are enzymes that play an important role in cellular methyl metabolism. However, during studies of these enzymes, a side reaction was observed that has not yet been fully understood.

The current study has demonstrated that SAHHs and related enzymes can convert nucleosides into so-called 4′,5′-dehydronucleosides.

Insights into the enzymatic depolymerisation of polyamides

Polyamides such as nylon-6 and nylon-6,6 are among the world’s most widely used engineering plastics, but their exceptional durability also makes them difficult to recycle.

Enzymatic depolymerization has emerged as a promising sustainable alternative to conventional recycling methods.

Per- and polyfluorinated active pharmaceutical ingredients: an overview and alternatives

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’ because they do not degrade, or only degrade into long-lived breakdown products such as trifluoroacetic acid (TFA).

Their persistence and the unknown but anticipated long-term effects on humans and the environment are causing growing concern. The publication presented here examines PFAS that are used as active pharmaceutical ingredients and proposes alternatives for research and industry.

Molecular Trappers

Sirtuins (SIRTs) are enzymes that regulate important processes in the human body, such as cell division, inflammatory responses and the stability of genetic material – including SIRT2, which is involved in age-related diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.

To specifically influence and investigate these processes, the research group led by Prof. Manfred Jung developed a novel class of compounds known as sirtuin-trapping ligands (SirTraps), which inhibit SIRT2 over the long term.

To the FreiDok profile of the faculty

Looking back

Events Archive

Further insights and highlights

Here’s a look back at past events and posts!