Prof. dr. Robert Kourist has been Professor at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology at the Graz University of Technology (TUG) since January 2017. At acib, he is Head of the Area Biotransformation. His research focus is on catalytic multi-step reactions for the utilization of renewable resources. Prof. Kourist studied Biochemistry in Greifswald and received there his diploma in 2006 and his doctoral degree in 2008. A one-year research stay at the University of Oviedo laid the basis for the proposed collaboration with the company EntreChem. After postdoctoral stays at the Keio University in Yokohama and the TU München, Prof. Kourist was appointed Junior Professor for Microbial Biotechnology at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum. In 2016, he was appointed member of the Young College of the Academy of Science and Art North Rhine Westphalia. Prof. Kourist has coauthored more than 90 peer-reviewed publications and patents and has an h-index of 25.

RELEVANT LITERATURE: 

1. W. Zhang, J.-H. Lee, S.H.H. Younes, F. Tonin, P.-L. Hagedoorn, H. Pichler, Y. Baeg, J.-B. Park,* R. Kourist* and F. Hollmann* (2020), Photobiocatalytic synthesis of chiral secondary fatty alcohols from renewable unsaturated fatty acids, Nat. Commun., in press
2. Köninger, K., A. Gomez-Baraibar, C. Mügge, C. Paul., F. Hollmann, M. Nowaczyk and Kourist* (2016). “Recombinant cyanobacteria as tools for asymmetric C=C bond reduction fueled by biocatalytic water oxidation.” Ang. Chem., Int. Ed.: DOI: 10.1002/anie.201601200
3. Á. Gómez-Baraibar, D. Reichert, C. Mügge, S. Seger, H. Gröger and R. Kourist (2016). “A sequential one-pot cascade reaction combining an encapsulated decarboxylase with metathesis for the synthesis of bio-based antioxidants.” Chem., Int. Ed.: DOI: 10.1002/anie.201607777
4. A. Schweiger, N. Rios Lombardía, C. Winkler, S. Schmidt, F. Morís, W. Kroutil, J.  Gonzalez-Sabin*, R. Kourist* (2019) Using deep eutectic solvents to overcome limited substrate solubility in the enzymatic decarboxylation of bio-based phenolic acids; ACS Sust. Chem. Eng., 7, 16364-16370