Start of new master's program Green Chemistry

18.10.2022

On Tuesday, the new master's program Green Chemistry was officially launched in a kick-off meeting at the Technical University.

With an annual turnover of 15 billion the chemical industry is the third largest industrial sector in Austria. Currently, most of its technical processes are based on fossil fuels and fossil raw materials. Since this is not sustainable both in view of climate change and dependence on fossil energy, we are facing fundamental changes in the coming years. To master this challenge, there is the need for a new research focus in green chemistry as well as a new educational program.

Main player in Green Chemistry

The Faculty of Chemistry is a main player in the field of green chemistry and materials; within its 14 institutes and over 50 research groups various aspects of green chemistry are covered such as: renewable materials and composites, environmental chemistry, green synthesis and catalysis, energy harvesting, computational chemistry (artificial photosynthesis) and high end analytical infrastructure for environmental analysis with an interest in the fate and impact of degradation products on the environment.

Due to this strong research portfolio, the University of Vienna and more specifically the Faculty of Chemistry was one of the 3 driving forces of the three lateral master’s program Green Chemistry. This new master’s program is a crucial link between the fundamental education within the bachelor studies and the academic or industrial future of our students. Therefore, it is our pleasure to raise the next generation of chemists with a distinguished profile to meet the demands of sustainable development in times of climate change and energy crisis.

Research-aided teaching

Teaching at the Faculty of Chemistry is research-aided. Especially in the master’s classes scientists teach the next generation the state-of-the-art developments in their specific, frontier research interests. Therefore, faculty of chemistry contributes to all other modules which are Green Chemistry Laboratory (part of mandatory modules of “basics of green Chemistry”) and the elective modules Design, Synthesis, Reagents & Feedstocks as well as Process & Utilisation.

We hope that the master’s program will open opportunities for further cooperation of the three universities and highlights the common ground with respect to their research focus. After all we are stronger together than apart especially in these challenging times.

© Giovanni Di Mauro