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Chemistry sensation: Stefan Mecking is honored with the Karl Ziegler Prize!
Stefan Mecking, professor at the University of Konstanz, will receive the Karl Ziegler Prize 2025 for innovative materials and catalysts.
Chemistry sensation: Stefan Mecking is honored with the Karl Ziegler Prize!
On September 29, 2025, the renowned Karl Ziegler Prize was awarded by the German Chemical Society (GDCh) to Professor Stefan Mecking from the University of Konstanz. The prize, which is worth 50,000 euros and a gold medal, is one of the highest awards in the field of chemistry in Germany. With this honor, the GDCh recognizes Mecking's outstanding achievements in materials and catalysis research.
Stefan Mecking, who has been Professor of Chemical Materials Science at the University of Konstanz since 2004, has made a significant contribution to the development of innovative catalysts. These catalysts enable the targeted introduction of functional groups into polymer structures and polymerizations in polar media. His research aims to produce degradable and reusable plastic materials that meet the challenges of materials chemistry and are socially relevant.
Research and innovation
Mecking's work focuses particularly on polymerization in dispersed systems, polymer colloids and nanostructures. It addresses fundamental problems in materials chemistry and thus promotes innovations in the life sciences and alternative energy technologies. “The development of such materials has the potential to overcome important challenges of our time,” he explains his concern.
The Karl Ziegler Prize is awarded by the Karl Ziegler Foundation, which was founded in 1993 to honor the legacy of Nobel Prize winner in chemistry Karl Ziegler. The award ceremony took place as part of the GDCh Science Forum Chemistry (SFC) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), which runs from September 29th to October 1st, 2025.
The motto of the event is “Thinking across borders” and aims to promote interdisciplinary exchange and establish international networks. The program includes plenary lectures, sessions and discussions that promise future-oriented ideas.
Mecking's career and awards
Stefan Mecking studied chemistry at RWTH Aachen and received his doctorate in 1994 under the supervision of Wilhelm Keim. After successfully completing his postdoctoral studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, and a position at Hoechst AG, he completed his habilitation at the University of Freiburg before accepting his professorship in Konstanz in 2004.
His numerous awards include the ERC Advanced Grant for the “DEEPCAT” project in 2019 and the Reinhart Koselleck project from the German Research Foundation in 2024. He also received funding from the Volkswagen Foundation in 2025 for the “Textile Materials Designed for Circularity” project.
The Karl Ziegler Prize is not only a sign of recognition for Mecking's work, but also underlines the importance of his research for chemical sciences as a whole. Such achievements are essential for advances in materials research and help address future challenges.