Katalin Barta is professor of Chemistry at the University of Graz, Austria. She started her independent career in 2013 at the Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen. Since 2019 she leads the sustainable catalysis unit at the University of Graz. Her research program addresses key scientific questions to enable the transition to a bio-based, circular economy. This involves catalyst and method development, alternative solvents and the development of biorefinery concepts, focusing on lignocellulosic biomass. Focus is devoted to the development of efficient catalytic pathways to access pharmaceutically active compounds, surfactants, fuels, as well as recyclable polymers and materials from renewable resources.
Her group has made pioneering contributions to emerging biorefinery concepts, especially in the area of ‘lignin-first’ chemistry. Her work has been recognized by prestigious grants and prizes, including the Styria Innovation Award (2022), the ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Lectureship Award (2020), the Netherlands Catalysis and Chemistry Conference Award (2019), and she is recipient of three ERC Grants and member of the Cluster of Excellence ‘Circular Bioengineering’. She serves as president of the division Green and Sustainable Chemistry of the European Chemical Society, chair of the editorial board of ChemSusChem, as well as international advisory board member of the journals ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Chem Catalysis and Green Chemistry.