After receiving a systematic basic education in chemical engineering at the School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, I chose to explore the deactivation mechanism of industrial catalysts for CO₂ hydrogenation under harsh conditions at Tianjin University. Through this research experience, I deeply realised the importance of reaction kinetics and mechanism research, not only for the apparent activity of the reaction but also for the stability of the catalyst.

Currently, I have joined Professor Hülsey's research group to design an electrochemical reaction system for CO₂ capture, contributing to carbon neutralisation. When designing a new reaction system, he will pay more attention to the optimisation of the reaction interface to reduce unnecessary energy waste.

Office: CRC 3037

Email: rui.xing@tum.de

After exploring my broad interest in science during my bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, I chose to specialize in inorganic chemistry and catalysis during my master’s studies at the Technical University of Munich. I deepened this focus in my master’s thesis, where I worked on the photothermal synthesis of methanol under the supervision of Prof. Jennifer Strunk, graduating in 2025. 

Currently, my research centers on the kinetics of surface transport processes in thermally activated catalytic systems, with a particular focus on the understanding of hydrogenation reactions.

Office: CRC 3039

Email: katha.blank@tum.de

Driven by a strong interest in science, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at Paderborn University, specializing in surface and technical chemistry. During his Master’s studies at RWTH Aachen University, he developed a strong focus on electrochemical systems and process engineering. His Master’s thesis addressed the quantification of ion fluxes across bipolar membranes during electrochemical CO₂ reduction.

Florian’s current research lies at the interface of thermo- and electrocatalysis. In his doctoral work, he investigates how electrode polarization can enable reactions on unconventional materials, aiming to achieve novel selectivities and high catalytic activity under mild conditions.

His side projects include studying the electrochemical kinetic isotope effect of carbon in CO₂ reduction to gain new mechanistic insights, supervising a research internship on open-circuit voltage relaxation kinetics, and developing new methods to quantify ion migration in electrochemical systems and membranes. Additionally, he is establishing a technique for ultrahigh-resolution 3D pH-gradient mapping using scanning microscopy.

Office: CRC 3037

Email: florian.musialek@tum.de

Inspired to find solutions to the global climate crisis after the devastating 2018 Kerala floods, Antony pursued a bachelor’s in chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). For his undergraduate thesis, he worked on CO₂ activation using Frustrated Lewis Pair compounds in the lab of Prof. Geetharani Kalimuthu. He continued at IISc for his master’s studies, conducting a mechanistic investigation of novel oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalysts in the lab of Prof. Chinmoy Ranjan. 

Antony then chose to pursue his doctoral studies in the Hülsey Lab, where his research focuses on developing methodologies to correct interfacial pH swing effects in sweep voltammetry of proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions. 

Office: CRC 3039

Email: antony.james@tum.de