Jan Torgersen studied industrial engineering - mechanical engineering at the TU Wien. There he received his doctorate in technical sciences (Dr. techn.) in 2013 about “Novel biocompatible materials for in vivo two-photon polymerization”. His interest in the interplay between the nanoscale and mesoscale took him to Stanford University in 2014, where he worked on materials for energy conversion and storage at the Nanoscale Prototyping Laboratory. In 2016, Torgersen accepted an offer at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) as an Associate Professor. He was also appointed a Full Professor there in 2020. His research focuses on the fabrication and optimization of materials for energy conversion and storage.
How did you become who you are?
There were several important stations and decisions in my life that led me to the Technical University of Munich (TUM). These stations have a lot to do with my colleagues and my family's willingness to follow me.
The journey began in Vienna during my studies. At that time, Florian Oberleiter, one of my fellow students from the TU Wien, had recommended that I write my diploma thesis with Professor Jürgen Stampfl at the Institute of Materials Science. This is where I discovered my interest and passion for materials science. I enjoyed the work at the TU Wien so much that I immediately continued with a doctoral thesis when it was offered to me. At the end of my dissertation, I then had the opportunity to go to Stanford. There I met another important colleague, Professor Fritz Prinz. Stanford plays a crucial role in my career. At Stanford, I was allowed to deal technically with energy conversion and storage. Until then I had only basic knowledge about that topic. In addition, my network there allowed me to pursue my career in a way that would have been impossible in Europe. After my postdoctoral period, I was offered a permanent position as an Associate Professor at the NTNU. Working there allowed me a lot of freedom in research. There I met the next important person in my life, Professor Filippo Berto. We complemented each other very well in our research and were able to develop some exciting projects together. This finally led me to the TUM. Here, some very exciting collaborations with my excellent TUM colleagues are already in the pipeline.
I would also like to emphasize the support of my wife Julia. Without her willingness, my career path would not have been possible. She followed me to the USA in 2014, in 2016 to Trondheim/Norway and now, in 2022, also to Munich. Although she originally never wanted to leave Vienna. My two children Tobias and Finja have also made the journey from Norway to Munich for the sake of me and my job. For that I am extremely grateful.
What will be your first research project at TUM?
I have taken a very exciting ERC project to TUM. In this project, we are investigating the transport of fuels and reaction products inside electrodes in fuel cells, electrolyzers and flow batteries. The fuel should be homogeneously distributed over the catalyst layer and the products should be effectively transported away from this layer. The fundamental novelty of our approach is that we optimize the electrodes geometrically. This is to achieve certain transport properties. Geometries are then produced directly from the CAD model using high-resolution 3D printing and finally characterized in a test rig. To this end, we have developed a process that allows us to fabricate carbon and graphite structures from patterned photopolymers that can exhibit geometric features over multiple length scales ranging from the nanometer to the centimeter range. The project is a fundamental research project and is limited to describing transport properties with novel 3D architectures. However, it should be possible in the future to optimize some of the conventional components of the electrodes. This should make it possible to produce smaller and lighter converters that deliver more power (higher current densities) with fewer losses. We also intend to apply similar principles to metallic components for specific transport optimization of electrolyzer anodes.
What change do you hope to see in the future?
Some time ago, I decided to devote my research entirely to the progress of renewable energies. I would like to contribute to stopping the progressing climate change. In my opinion, this can only (still) be achieved technologically. We have to offer an attractive alternative to conventional fossil technology and create a reasonable basis for a functioning circular economy. I hope that in the near future there will be more focus on these issues before it is too late for all of us.
I personally find a hydrogen economy, an idea that has been around for many years, a very attractive alternative. Although there are positive trends all over the world in the direction of implementing hydrogen technology, I hope we can move even faster in this area. I will do my utmost to make my contribution from the point of view of materials science and I am committed to this issue with my knowledge and the resources made available to me. I commit myself to this not only to TUM, but also to our generation and especially to that of my children.