The Faculty of Applied Chemistry has a long history steeped in tradition. Following the foundation of the Städtischen Polytechnischen Schule (city polytechnic school) in 1823, the first chemist, Dr Friedrich Wilhelm Engelhart, was appointed as a teacher of physics and chemistry at the school in 1829.

Today, around 400 students are taught by 16 professors in the bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes, supported by adjunct faculty with current industry experience and scientific and technical staff.

Two Ohm awards for students at the AC Faculty

Students at the Faculty of Applied Chemistry were the recipients of two Ohm awards this year. The Ohm awards are sponsored by companies and institutions from the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region and serve to recognise outstanding academic and research achievements. On 17 June 2026, the awards were presented at a ceremony in the beautiful Keßlerplatz courtyard, with excellent weather adding to the occasion. 

 

Felix Marterer’s master’s thesis focused on the synthesis and identification of active compounds against hepatitis B, generated valuable insights into structure-activity relationships that may make an important contribution to the development of new therapies for this chronic disease. The research results were incorporated directly into a patent application, an exceptional achievement for a student project. The international dimension of the project was equally significant. Conducting the research at HEC Pharm in China required not only scientific expertise but also perseverance, initiative, and creative solutions to a range of organisational challenges.

In recognition of this outstanding achievement, he received the award sponsored by DATEV eG. Prof. Stefan Heuser supervised the master’s thesis.

 

Sarah Loy was awarded the Ohm Hydrogen Award for her bachelor's thesis entitled, ‘Development of accelerated degradation tests for hydrogen PEM fuel cells tailored to commercial vehicle applications’. As part of the project, accelerated degradation tests for fuel cells were carried out on a single-cell test bench at the Ohm’s Campus Future Driveline in collaboration with TRATON SE / MAN Truck & Bus SE. Using a range of electrochemical analysis cycles, it was possible to selectively identify the degradation effects affecting the individual components of the fuel cell’s membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The high quality of her work is also reflected in the fact that her findings have been included in a scientific publication in the renowned ‘Journal of Power Sources’.

 

The Ohm Hydrogen Award is presented through DuraFuelCell, a DFG-funded Research Impulse. The bachelor's thesis was supervised by Prof. Maik Eichelbaum.

 

Excursion to analytica 2026

Shortly after the summer semester started, we spent a full day visiting the analytica trade fair in Munich together with our students. The visit gave sixth-semester students and master’s students in our Applied Chemistry programmes the opportunity to learn about the latest trends in analytical science and laboratory technology, build professional networks, and speak with potential employers. And, of course, students could collect the occasional giveaway throughout the day.

Students following the Chemistry specialisation in their degree programme also prepared for the excursion in the Advanced Instrumental Analysis course by considering their expectations of the visit, identifying exhibitors they intended to visit, and selecting a presentation from the day’s programme to attend. Following the visit, students prepared a brief reflection on their experience and provided feedback to each other. This allows students to use the eventful day to support their academic, professional, and personal development. 

Another highlight is the coach trip itself, which was once again generously supported by our alumni association, Freunde der Chemie e.V.. On the coach journey home, we not only compared the gadgets and giveaways we had collected, but also had an in-depth discussion about the further development of our degree programmes. Our students’ input sparked a number of exciting new ideas.

I, Prof. Birgit Götzinger - ‘Analytik rulez’, am already looking forward to analytica 2028!

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Doctoral student wins Best Poster Award

A great success for our young researcher: A doctoral student from the department of macromolecular chemistry and polymer engineering was awarded the Best Poster Award at the Macromolecular Colloquium 2026 in Freiburg. The prize was awarded by Wiley and recognises outstanding scientific contributions in the field of polymer research.

The award-winning poster titled, Bio-Based Epoxy Resins as Substitutes for Fossil-Based DGEBA: Structure-Property Insights, was presented by Elisabeth Schamel, M.Sc. and reported her current research results in the development of bio-based epoxy resins with high glass transition temperatures. These materials show great potential for replacing conventional, fossil-based epoxy resins such as DGEBA, which would make a significant contribution to sustainable plastics technologies.

The research is focused on how molecular structural features influence the mechanical and thermal properties of bio-based epoxy resins.

We congratulate Elisabeth Schamel on this outstanding achievement and are delighted that this important research has been recognised.

Further information is available on our website.

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Long Night of Science 2025 at the Faculty of Applied Chemistry

The Faculty of Applied Chemistry was pleased to offer many contributions to the Long Night of Science programme again in 2025. Various laboratories presented current research and spectacular insights into the world of chemistry.

From plastics to hydrogen, sequencing to molecular gastronomy - everything was on offer. The beauty of micro-organisms beside the brilliance of luminescent dyes - rounded off by delicious creations at the molecular cocktail bar.

And of course, our “Brände, Licht und Explosionen” (Fire, Light, and Explosions) show was a don’t-miss – packed with exciting special effects and interesting information.

We look forward to the next Long Night in 2027!

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Impressions of the Faculty of Applied Chemistry

At the Faculty of Applied Chemistry, chemistry is not only studied and researched, but also celebrated and discussed and we are passionate about communicating our love of all aspects of chemistry at events like the Long Night of Sciences, the KinderUni, Science Slams, or many other events and workshops.

Here are a few pictures from our current activities - more information and more pictures are available on our web pages. Enjoy!

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Faculty of Applied Chemistry

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