CDT Director - Peter Licence and CDT Co Director - Simon Woodward, recently attended the Adaptive Catalytic Systems Workshop at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion.

The MPI CEC recently hosted the international workshop “Adaptive Catalytic Systems”, gathering leading scientists from around the world to explore how catalysts can be designed to respond and adapt to changing environments. Held on 3-4 November 2025, the two-day event featured five thematic sessions, a round table, and a world café, offering a vibrant mix of focused presentations and open discussions about the future of adaptive catalysis.

Simon Woodward presented a “water switch” approach for HCN production, while Chunshan Song and Xin Tu demonstrated the strong synergy between non-thermal plasma and catalysis in CO₂ conversion, SO₂ reduction, and Power-to-X applications. 

The “Adaptive Catalytic Systems” workshop showcased the latest advances in this rapidly evolving field and emphasized the value of collaboration across disciplines and institutions.  The workshop was held as part of our activities within the International Green Chemistry Consortium coordinated by our partners at Yale University and generously supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore foundation. The insights and connections forged during these two days promise to shape the next generation of catalysts for sustainable energy conversion and beyond.

More information can be found here