The Einstein Foundation Berlin has announced that Professor Douglas W. Stephan of the University of Toronto has been selected as newest Einstein Visiting Fellow.
With the so-called frustrated Lewis pairs, chemical researcher Douglas Stephan created a whole new area of research and shaped an entire decade of molecular chemistry. At the UniCat Cluster of Excellence, he will constitute a research group in homogenous catalysis. Prof. Stephan will work with Prof. Matthias Driess in the area of metalorganic chemistry and inorganic materials, with Prof. Martin Oestreich in the area of Synthesis and catalysis, and with Prof. Arne Thomas in the area of functional materials.
Douglas Stephan has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the Cluster of Excellence since December 2013.
Einstein Visiting Fellows are leading scientists and scholars from abroad who sustainably enhance focal areas of academic excellence in Berlin. They should become an enduring part of Berlin's academic landscape and thus raise the international profile of the universities and research institutions in the German capital. Einstein Visiting Fellows are expected to set up a working group in Berlin in consultation with their hosts and come to Berlin for a minimum of three weekly stays per year to work with the group and be available for junior researchers. During their time in Berlin, Visiting Fellows also work on joint projects with other researchers. The Foundation will provide up to 150,000 Euro per year for establishing a working group in Berlin. The funds may also be used for a Postdoc overseeing the working group in Berlin, an expense allowance for the Fellow in line with the regulations of the host institution and expenses for consumables as deemed necessary by the Fellow for his or her research project.
The Einstein Foundation Berlin was founded in 2009 by the State of Berlin. The Foundation aims to promote science and research of top international caliber in Berlin and to establish the city as a center of scientific excellence. In addition to its endowment, the Foundation also receives state funding. An independent scientific commission of the highest standard selects projects for funding.