On 18 June, Markus Niederberger, a researcher at ETH Zürich (Switzerland), shared a list of projects he has developed in the field of materials chemistry, in particular nanoparticles and aerogels, which can play important roles in the selection of materials with an impact on sectors such as corrosion protection of materials and increased energy efficiency. The IST Distinguished Lecture titled “Wet Chemical Synthesis and Processing of Nanoparticles” – “I have to admit that the title is a bit boring, but I’ll show you everything we do”, the researcher joked – was co-organised by the Centro de Recursos Naturais e Ambiente (CERENA) and the Department of Chemical Engineering (DEQ) at Instituto Superior Técnico. Markus Niederberger, founder of the Laboratory for Multifunctional Materials at ETH, kept his promise and spoke about research he developed almost by accident. It’s important to “always keep your eyes open” because seeing “something different in the lab” can lead to new lines of research, he argued. Some scientific developments have only been possible thanks to collaboration with other institutions. “This is what you should do, if you don’t know something, you should look for experts and work together”, he advised.
In an interview, Markus Niederberger said he was “very impressed” with the research carried out at Técnico and spoke about his career and what he considers most important for future research in this area.
How did you become a researcher? Was it a dream or did it just happen?
Markus Niederberger – I became a scientist because I had an extremely inspiring and motivating chemistry teacher in secondary school. It’s something that probably happens very rarely, to have a good teacher in a specific subject. I became interested in chemistry and decided to study chemistry. Although I’m a materials scientist, I’m a chemist.
And why did you choose this research area?
MN – Honestly, sometimes it’s a bit of a coincidence. I started my PhD in the field of nanoparticle synthesis. My supervisor at the time proposed several topics and I chose one without having any idea that it would follow me for the next 30 years. So I did my PhD. I have to admit that I wanted to study and work in another country at least once in my life. That was the main reason I did a post-doc. And I started working on some topics shown here, inspired by a French group. I had to solve a specific problem and these articles from the French group helped me and I continued in another direction, which went very well, but I didn’t expect to work on that subject for so many years.
I developed the synthesis of titanium project – which I showed in my presentation – during my post-doctorate 30 years ago. I have to admit that sometimes in my life everything isn’t extremely well planned, sometimes it’s opportunities that come up and I decide to try them out.
What was the most defining moment of your career?
MN – That’s an interesting question… When I was a research group leader [at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces] I applied for an assistant professor position at ETH Zürich and received a letter from the University. I was in my office and I remember receiving a letter that said ‘The president of ETH has decided to start negotiations with you’. I had no idea what that meant. I asked my boss: ‘I’ve received this letter…’. And he said: ‘It’s an offer… it’s an offer for an assistant professor. Congratulations! And that was the moment I thought ‘wow! Now I’ve become a professor’… it was a great experience.
What are the major challenges facing this research area and what can society expect from it?
MN – I’m not sure if this answers the question, but over the years I feel that the big challenge is to bring my results into practical application. The older I get, the more important that is to me. I’d really like to see some of them in the real world and that’s incredibly challenging… from the lab to real-world use. I’m not saying that everyone has to do that, some people do fantastic research all their lives and it’s fine. But for me, this became a very important issue.
You mentioned startups during your presentation. Do they play an important role in this transition?
MN – In my opinion, yes. Startups are the best because companies in Switzerland are a bit hesitant to invest in something new. But spinoffs are made up of people willing to take risks to invest a few years of their lives to try to apply an idea and look for possibilities to make it happen. At ETH Zürich there are funding opportunities to do just that. It’s called the Pioneer Fellowship and it allows you to receive a salary for 18 months to bring research results to ‘real life’. After one or two years, companies have to support or buy the idea or start collaborating. But the first step, from the laboratory, is very complicated. That’s why I think the spinoff solution is excellent if you have the right student, who really has the skills to contact lots of people and establish lots of networks. It takes a lot of passion to do that and it’s tough.
What do you think of the research carried out at Instituto Superior Técnico?
MN – I’m very impressed with the research carried out here. I work with Ana Marques and find her extremely inspiring, dedicated, and motivated. There are great laboratories here, very well equipped. I co-supervise a PhD student, who has been in my laboratory, in Zurich, twice. It’s a very fruitful collaboration, which I really enjoy: [Solar2Clean] is a project to develop very porous microcapsules [(less than 1 mm)] to be used to remove persistent organic pollutants from water [such as antibiotics or microplastics] with the help of sunlight. We’re trying to fill the pores of the microcapsules with our nanoparticles in the hope that, by working together, the project will be even better.
What advice would you like to give to young people and future students/researchers?
MN – One of the most important things is having an open mind. Both in terms of what we find in the lab and the possibilities that life offers us, in terms of job opportunities. When you get an offer from a company or a university and you think “Oh, I don’t know, maybe it’s too complicated…”, don’t give up. Do it. Take a few risks and have fun while you’re young. And that’s the most important thing. You must love what you do. Being a researcher requires dedication. The salaries aren’t the highest, so we must enjoy what we do.
