Australia-Germany Research Network

 

 

Hear from our AGRN community members

Take a look at the interviews below with members of our AGRN community to hear about their research projects and take on international research collaboration.

 

Dr. Enno Aufderheide, Secretary General of the Humboldt Foundation

Dr. Enno Aufderheide​ has been the Secretary General of the Humboldt Foundation since July 2010. From 2006 to 2010, he was heading the Research Policy and External Relations Department at the Max Planck Society in Munich where he played a key role in the society’s internationalisation strategy. Dr. Aufderheide was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Colorado in Boulder, USA and is an alumnus of the German National Academic Foundation.

In our feature interview, he shares his experience of academic relations between Australian and German researchers and promotes the past 70 years of Australian-German academic collaboration. Since 1953, the Foundation has had the privilege of helping nearly 900 excellent researchers from Australia and Germany to pursue their individual research collaborations.

1. ‘Exzellenz verbindet / be part of a worldwide network’ is the Humboldt Foundation’s key phrase and you have plenty of excellent scientists from around 140 countries in your ranks – 56 of them are Nobel laureates. What skills and qualities make an ‘excellent researcher’ who is Humboldt material?

For researchers all over the world who want to become members of the Humboldt Family, there really is only one thing that counts: their own excellent performance. What it is that constitutes “excellent performance” must always be seen in context. That’s why our selection committees are less interested in ostensibly objective metrics and more in qualitative aspects: Has the person who is applying or has been nominated already demonstrated their ability to implement their own ideas and visibly change their research field? And can it be assumed that they will continue to produce exciting research results in the future, too?

 

2. More than 30,000 researchers form the tight network that connects ‘Humboldtianer’ worldwide. The Australian Association of von Humboldt Fellows for example meets and celebrates Alexander Humboldt’s birthday annually with dinners across Australia. What makes the Humboldt experience so special and how do you build these connections?

I was very pleased to attend the last dinner held by the Australian Association of von Humboldt Fellows – if only online. Time and again, I am also really impressed by the connecting power of the worldwide Humboldt Family, not least in Australia. The reason the Humboldt Foundation can foster such close bonds with its sponsorship recipients is because we primarily support people, not projects, and because we invest a great deal in individual counselling. Moreover, the Federal President, our head of state, invites the Humboldtians to a reception at his residence during their stay in Germany – a wonderful, shared experience. The Foundation fosters the scientific development of its sponsorship recipients during their entire lifetime, in accordance with our motto: “Once a Humboldtian, always a Humboldtian.” Apart from this, we want our Humboldtians to learn a bit more about our country and people during their stay in Germany, and also connect with one another. So, we invite them to take part in a two-week study tour around Germany, for example. During this trip, lifelong friendships are often forged – and sometimes even more.

 

3. Alexander von Humboldt never made it to Australia – but since his explorations, numerous German scientists have, and numerous Australians have since also experienced the science and research environment in Germany. In your experience, what are the particular strengths that Australian and German researchers bring to collaborations with one another?

In both countries there are very strong research communities doing excellent research. I think academic relations between Australian and German researchers are founded on great mutual trust. We share values like the freedom of science and confidential handling of data whilst also maintaining transparency in the way we make research knowledge available. This mutual trust is incredibly valuable, especially in times of increasing political tension in the world.

 

4. The Australian-German diplomatic relationship celebrates its 70th anniversary this year and research and innovation has played an integral part in our partnership.  Which scientific collaborations in recent years have you found particularly formative?

Seventy years of Australian-German diplomatic relations also means almost 70 years of the Humboldt Foundation promoting Australian-German academic collaborations, because next year, we will also celebrate our 70^th anniversary. Since 1953, the Foundation has had the privilege of helping nearly 900 excellent researchers from Australia and Germany to pursue their individual research collaborations. The first Australian fellow came to the Theological Faculty at the University of Göttingen in 1955. And later, for instance, Australian fellows conducted research together with Reinhard Genzel and Klaus Hasselmann who both won Nobel Prizes in Physics in 2020 and 2021 respectively. All the collaborations we supported helped to advance research and build trust. Many have spawned long-term contacts, which in turn have generated further institutional linkages. Cooperation between individuals has thus had a structural impact on academic relations between Australia and Germany. Today, I am very pleased to note that this momentum continues unabated and that new generations of researchers are also grasping the opportunity to work together.

 

5. With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting international research exchange for the third consecutive year, where do you see international collaboration (and Australian-German in particular) heading?

In 2020 and 2021, the Humboldt Foundation did indeed experience a slight drop in the number of applications and sponsorship figures for Australian researchers. This was obviously a result of the pandemic and travel restrictions. Some collaborations could be continued or launched online; some researchers tried out new forms of distance cooperation. This experience will inform the way we design scientific cooperation between our countries in the future, too, and perhaps be quite helpful in overcoming the physical distance. But even so, personal encounters and immersing oneself in new scientific and cultural environments are still indispensable for creative thought processes and sustainable personal contacts. I am convinced of this. Now, as the situation is gradually improving somewhat, we are delighted to see that increasing numbers of Australian researchers are coming to Germany. I am confident that this trend will continue because there is enormous potential in Australian-German scientific relations – and not only in large-scale energy and climate projects but also, and especially, in smaller projects that, thanks to the spirit of scientific discovery, break new ground.

 

 

 

Dr. Bradley Ladewig​, Group Leader Photochemistry (PHO) at Karlsruhe Institute for Technology,  Germany

 

Dr. Bradley Ladewig​ is the group leader Photochemistry at the Institute for Micro Process Engineering at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.  Examining the decarbonization of chemical manufacturing processes and exploring engineering technologies for hydrogen, Dr. Ladewig is one of the key scientists finding the solutions we need for a successful energy transition. In our feature interview, he shares insights into his work with us, his hopes for a greener future and his unique international experiences - his research in  has lead him all over the world. Learn more below!

1. Can you tell us about your research and your current focus?

My focus is entirely on the energy transition in Germany and finding new materials, technologies and solutions that will help us achieve our target of zero net emissions in 2050. Germany has several important industry sectors like chemical manufacturing which pose really interesting challenges for decarbonization, and part of my current research focus is on developing new materials to help achieve this – for example finding new catalysts for electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide to useful and valuable chemicals. Another element of my work is on chemical engineering technologies for producing, storing and transporting green hydrogen – since for many countries (including Germany and Australia) hydrogen will be a crucial energy carrier.

2. You completed your higher education and PhD at Monash University and the University of Queensland in Australia and are now working at one of the leading German research institutes. How have you experienced the research environments in both countries? 

International experience is one of the reasons I love my career. I was a student in The University of Queensland, an exchange student at Nottingham University, then conducted part of my PhD research at Imperial College London (with a Chevening Scholarship). I was a postdoctoral researcher with the CNRS in France, did some further postgraduate study in education at Monash University while working there, then had several years working at Imperial College London, before moving to KIT Karlsruhe (with support from the Alexander von Humbolt Foundation).

The research environment is all these places is the same, everyone is striving to do excellent research to solve important problems – what is different is the culture. How people relate to each other, the way of communicating and collaborating, whether colleagues socialize outside of work, and of course the language – these things make the experiences different and enriching.

3. What has your extensive research collaboration experience taught you about what German and Australian researchers learn from each other?

I find German and Australian research collaborations to be enjoyable and productive. From a personal perspective, both working cultures are fairly direct, honest and straightforward with a focus on solving problems. Germany has a proud reputation of industrial export-oriented success and at least in my field (engineering sciences) there is a focus on partnering with industry and delivering talent (i.e. our graduates) and solutions (materials, technologies) that meet the needs of industry. KIT Karlsruhe has some amazing alumni, including Fritz Haber – awarded the Nobel Prize in 1918 for invention of the Haber-Bosch process for making ammonia. In a beautifully circular way, ammonia is currently being explored as a hydrogen carrier and could form the backbone of a global green hydrogen supply chain, including from Australia to Germany.

Overall I strongly support all options for the exchange of students and staff between Australia and Germany. In my experience, the best collaborations are those where participants genuinely understand and appreciate the cultural background of their counterparts.

4.  What role do you see your research playing in helping the world achieve a greener future?

Our research is entirely focused on achieving sustainable solutions to the major global challenges in energy and environment. We literally don’t do anything else! If I end my career and can point to some material or technology being used industrially, whether for green hydrogen or CO2 conversion or something else I haven’t even started work on yet, then I will be satisfied. I also place great emphasis on education – our graduates will work in companies that actually realize the energy transition, that develop the technologies, services, products that people need. The impact I have on the thousands of students I teach over my career can have a ripple effect, spreading far and wide in many different sectors, so I really make a big effort to do that part of my job well. Maybe my biggest contribution to a greener future is through people instead of products and publications!

5. In your view, how can research institutions such as the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology get involved in ongoing public debate about lowering emissions and creating a sustainable future?

Here the answer is really clear, KIT is already doing this extremely well. We have really extensive outreach at every level, from local school students to our Professors contributing to the highest level discussions in the Leopoldina, and everything in between. For example, KIT Science Week runs from 5-10 October 2021 on the topic of “The Human in the Centre of Learning Systems” and includes keynote speeches, TED talks, panel discussions, an exhibition, a citizens dialogue platform and campus tours, all the bring the public into our research and education and to engage with them. 

In a time when there are some elements of society not fully engaged with science-led expert opinion, it has never been more important that researchers and research institutions really listen to members of the public, to hear their questions and concerns, and answer them clearly and honestly. Major events like KIT Science Week are one way to do this, but we also need to do it everywhere, all the time, when talking to family, friends, neighbors, young people and old – everyone.

6. What is the defining feature of science and education in Germany, from your perspective?

Germany has a clear understanding, both at a political level and within the wider public, that society benefits from investment in education. I am so proud to live and work in Germany and see that all kinds of research is funded from the arts, humanities, medicine, natural sciences and engineering.