黑料社区

Biography

Javier P茅rez-Ram铆rez F黑料社区 is professor of catalysis engineering at ETH Zurich. He also holds the ExxonMobil Chair as visiting professor at the National University of Singapore. His path began at the University of Alicante, where he completed his chemical engineering studies in 1997. In 2002, he earned his PhD cum laude from Delft University of Technology, which opened the door to positions in industry at Norsk Hydro and Yara International. He later returned to academia, first as ICREA professor at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia in Tarragona, before joining ETH Zurich in 2010. 

Javier develops catalytic processes for sustainable chemical and energy production. His research integrates atomic-scale catalyst design, reaction engineering, sustainability metrics, and digital tools to transform renewable feedstocks like CO₂ and plastic waste into industrially relevant circular carbon solutions.

A strong advocate of collaboration as a cornerstone of progress, he founded and has directed since 2020 NCCR Catalysis, the Swiss Centre of Competence in Research devoted to enabling carbon-neutral chemicals across the value chain through catalytic innovation.

Since 2023, he has served as editor-in-chief of Green Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry in the field. Outside science, tennis is his not-so-secret passion.

Given the urgency of climate change, discovery alone is no longer enough: we must become much better at bridging the gap between fundamental research and industrial demonstration.

Javier P茅rez-Ram铆rez

Q&A

Can you tell us more about your work?

Climate change and the unsustainable use of fossil resources call for a radical transformation in how we produce chemicals and energy. My research connects chemistry across scales, from catalysts engineered down to single atoms to technologies that can make chemical production cleaner and more sustainable. By designing materials that direct chemical reactions with high precision, I aim both to understand catalysis at a fundamental level and to apply that knowledge to converting resources such as CO₂, biogas, and plastics into useful chemicals and fuels. The broader goal is to translate atomic-level insight into practical solutions that reduce environmental impact and advance a circular economy.

Who or what first sparked your interest in chemistry, and how has that interest evolved over time? 

I did not come to chemistry through an early calling, as my initial priorities lay elsewhere. I chose chemical engineering at university for its logical, quantitative nature and its strong connection to real industrial problems. I was fascinated by the idea that the performance of an entire plant depends on how well its different parts work together. Later, Professor Kapteijn played a major role in sparking my interest in catalysis, which I found to be a powerful bridge between fundamental chemistry and practical applications. This has since grown into the broader multiscale perspective that still drives me today, connecting atoms, processes, and sustainability challenges.

What has been the most rewarding or memorable highlight of your career so far? 

Two highlights stand out for me. One is the privilege of seeing the people I have worked with, students, postdocs, and colleagues, grow into confident and independent scientists and professionals, and then flourish along many different paths. The other is the opportunity to help bring people together across disciplines and contribute to the broader evolution of catalysis itself. Over the course of my career, catalysis has increasingly moved from being seen mainly as a discipline serving fossil-based industry to one that can play a central role in addressing challenges such as climate change, circularity, and sustainable chemical production. Through NCCR Catalysis and my role as chair of the editorial board of Green Chemistry, it has been especially rewarding to help shape that transition and the communities driving it.

Thinking back to earlier in your career, are there any words of wisdom that you wish someone had told you? 

Looking back, I wish someone had told me earlier that research rarely progresses in a straight line. Setbacks, detours, and resistance are not exceptions, but part of how understanding is built. I also learned that resistance does not always mean an idea should be abandoned: sometimes it means reframing the question, trying a different direction, or seeking different feedback before deciding whether to let it go. At the same time, good judgment also means knowing when to stop. Some topics reach a point where the next major advance is limited by the available methods or tools, and part of leadership is recognising when it is time to redirect effort elsewhere. I have also learned that interdisciplinary research does not happen effectively without a genuine effort to understand the other community, its language, its standards, and what it considers a meaningful contribution. More broadly, scientific judgment is as important as scientific talent: choosing problems where you can make a distinctive contribution, defining projects tightly enough to deliver a clear message, leading different people in different ways, and keeping the right balance between breadth and depth.

What impact would you say that your work is having on your field and/or the wider world? 

I hope my work is helping to show that chemistry and catalysis are part of the solution, not part of the problem. Although these fields have long been closely associated with fossil-based production, I believe they can be powerful drivers of a more sustainable future. My contribution has been to promote a more interdisciplinary and multiscale approach, connecting atomic-level catalyst design with reaction engineering, sustainability metrics, and, increasingly, digital and machine-learning tools. In this way, I aim not only to develop better catalytic systems, but also to help shape a vision of chemistry that is more integrated, more purposeful, and better equipped to address challenges such as climate change and circular resource use.

What future directions or opportunities do you see for your work? 

Many, but perhaps my heart beats especially strongly for the development of single-atom catalysts as a platform to broaden and better understand the reactivity of the periodic table, including elements that have so far remained largely unexplored. The real promise of this approach lies in translating this growing atomic-level control into technologies that can be implemented at scale. Given the urgency of climate change, discovery alone is no longer enough: we must become much better at bridging the gap between fundamental research and industrial demonstration. This will require stronger support for scale-up and implementation, so that advances in catalysis can contribute more directly to the sustainable transformation of chemicals and energy.

What does good research culture mean to you, and why does it matter? 

Good research culture, to me, is one in which people are challenged and supported at the same time. It means high standards, honest debate, fairness in credit, and the freedom to develop ideas without fear. It also means making the effort to understand other disciplines, because many important problems now sit at the boundaries between fields. This matters because science progresses best in environments where people trust one another, feel a sense of purpose, and are able to do ambitious work together.

How can scientists try to improve the environmental sustainability of research? Can you give us any examples from your own experience or context? 

Scientists can improve the environmental sustainability of research by making it a design criterion rather than an afterthought. In fields such as catalysis and process development, this means using quantitative sustainability metrics from a very early stage to guide which ideas are worth pursuing and how they should be developed. In my own group, we try to ensure that every project begins with a clear sustainability proposition, even when this initially relies on estimates or comparisons with closely related systems. I also think it is essential to remain connected to industry, because practical feasibility, regulatory constraints, and implementation challenges often determine whether a promising scientific idea can translate into real environmental benefit. To me, sustainable research is therefore not only about reducing the footprint of laboratory work itself, but also about directing scientific effort toward solutions that have a realistic chance of making a difference.

What is your favourite element and why? 

Indium, because it felt like bringing a sleeping element back to life. It had no major applications in catalysis until we uncovered its unique ability to catalyse the conversion of carbon dioxide into green methanol.