The Tübingen biotechnologist Lars Angenent receives the Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation. As the DFG announced in Bonn on Thursday, it is honoring his outstanding work in the field of environmental biotechnology: “His work is highly topical in view of climate change and the associated need for sustainable food, chemical and energy industries.” Lars Angenent is since 2016 Humboldt Professor at the Geo- and Environmental Research Center (GUZ) of the University of Tübingen. He develops innovative bioprocesses to convert organic waste and industrial emissions into renewable fuels, green chemicals and sustainable food.
For example, it produces edible protein from recycled carbon dioxide that could serve as a meat substitute. In another research project, he “feeds” carbon dioxide and hydrogen to microbes, thereby obtaining methane that can be fed into the gas network. The energy required comes from sustainable sources such as wind power. If applied on an industrial scale, the CO2 content in the atmosphere could ultimately be reduced. Lars Angenent has already tested the process with a start-up Electrochaea, which he co-founded.
“Science can make a decisive contribution to solving the pressing problems of our time. The awarding of the Leibniz Prize to Lars Angenent recognizes his groundbreaking achievements in environmental research,” said Professor Karla Pollmann, Rector of the University of Tübingen. “What is particularly impressive about Lars Angenent’s work is his ability to research globally relevant processes from the microbiological basis to industrial application and to show new ways.”
Lars Angenent was born in the Netherlands in 1969 and studied environmental biotechnology at Wageningen University. He received his doctorate from Iowa State University in the USA. In 2002 he went to Washington University in St. Louis as an assistant professor and was subsequently offered a position at Cornell University . In 2016 he came to Tübingen as a Humboldt Professor.
The US National Science Foundation has already honored Lars Angenent with a Career Award . This summer he was also made a Fellow of the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology (ISMET).
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is the most important research award in Germany. The Leibniz program was set up in 1985 and aims to improve the working conditions of outstanding scientists, expand their research opportunities, relieve them of administrative burdens and facilitate the employment of particularly qualified younger scientists. The award is endowed with up to 2.5 million euros. A total of 18 researchers from the University of Tübingen and the Tübingen Max Planck Institute have been awarded the Leibniz Prize since 1985.
