Katalin Barta

Abstract

ChemCatChemVolume 11, Issue 16 p. 3575-3576 InterviewFree Access Katalin Barta First published: 05 June 2019 https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.201900930AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Abstract Professor Barta was interviewed in celebration of her Netherlands' Catalysis and Chemistry Conference Award 2019. Katalin Barta Date of birth: November 1, 1980 Position: Associate Professor, Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen (Netherlands) E-mail: k.barta@rug.nl Homepage: http://bartagroup.org/ ORCID 0000-0002-8046-4248 Education: 2003 M.Sc. Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary 2008 PhD under the supervision of Prof. Walter Leitner, RWTH Aachen, (Germany) 2008-2010 Postdoctoral researcher under the supervision of Prof. Peter C. Ford, University of California Santa Barbara (USA) 2010-2012 Associate research scientist under the supervision of Prof. Paul T. Anastas, Yale University (USA) Awards: 2019 Netherlands' Catalysis and Chemistry Conference Award 2015 ERC Starting Grant 2015 Talent Scheme VIDI Grant Current Research: Multidisciplinary research in the area of sustainable catalysis with focus on renewable resources Hobbies: Arts & poetry, foreign languages, sport When I was eighteen I wondered whether I should become an artist or a scientist. Then… I choose chemistry as a career because it offers an amazing combination of science and art. My favorite component in every reaction is the Catalyst — of course! Guaranteed to make me happy are the precious moments spent with my family and friends. One of the great challenges for academic research is to establish reliable sources of funding for fundamental research in a rapidly changing landscape that increasingly focuses on immediate practical applications. In two words, how would you describe your research? The two simple words ‘cleave and couple' describe my research perfectly, and I have built a multidisciplinary research team in catalysis and renewable resources around this theme. ‘Cleave' broadly refers to finding novel approaches for the depolymerization of complex biopolymers to platform chemicals. ‘Couple' denotes the diversification of the obtained chemical building blocks to access products that may find concrete valorization potential in various areas, for example as pharmaceuticals, materials, polymers. Our aim is to develop new catalytic routes that allow to perform these two steps in a highly efficient and completely waste-free manner in order to maximize the sustainability of the overall transformation from raw material to product. What is your research philosophy? I am a generalist and don't believe in disciplines very much. In catalysis, and certainly in the field of renewable resources, we are faced with complex, multifaceted challenges that require integrated solutions. We need to be able to branch out to new territories and take risks as well. Perhaps one of the biggest questions is how to maintain sufficient overview of the recent developments in multiple disciplines while not compromising on depth and quality. These are exciting times for research in renewable resources as we actively participate in laying down the fundamental principles of this newly emerging field. Who has been your biggest influence? My very first role models were my parents. They showed me that one's profession is not just a ‘job' but rather a lifelong pursuit of excellence and dedication, and inspired me to value hard work, knowledge and creativity. They taught me to seek fulfillment in helping others. This almost idealistic view was rather different from the materialistic modern way of ‘career planning'. Later, I was very fortunate to have had truly excellent mentors throughout all stages of my academic training. Interesting and different personalities, each one of them showed me valuable insights into research, and diverse ways of approaching scientific and non-scientific problems. My three top papers: 1“Complete Lignocellulose Conversion with Integrated Catalyst Recycling Yielding Valuable Aromatics and Fuels”: Z. Sun, G. Bottari, A. Afanasenko, M. C. A. Stuart, P. J. Deuss, B. Fridrich, K. Barta, Nat. Catal. 2018, 1, 82. (This paper is a nice illustration of the ‘cleave and couple' idea mentioned above.) CrossrefCASWeb of Science®Google Scholar 2“Direct N-Alkylation of Unprotected Amino Acids with Alcohols”: T. Yan, B. L. Feringa, K. Barta, Sci. Adv. 2017, 3, eaao 6494. (Beside novel catalytic method to access N-alkyl amino acids directly, the paper also describes an ultimately sustainable approach to build fully bio-based surfactants.) CrossrefWeb of Science®Google Scholar 3“Aromatic Monomers by in Situ Conversion of Reactive Intermediates in the Acid-Catalyzed Depolymerization of Lignin”: P. J. Deuss, M. Scott, F. Tran, N. J. Westwood, J. G. de Vries, K. Barta, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 7456. (Trapping reactive intermediates during lignin depolymerization is key to achieve high monomer selectivity. The lignin used was extracted from the walnut shells collected in my garden.) CrossrefCASPubMedWeb of Science®Google Scholar Volume11, Issue16Special Issue: Women of CatalysisAugust 21, 2019Pages 3575-3576 This article also appears in:Catalysis AwardsWomen of Catalysis ReferencesRelatedInformation