Prof. Dr. Christian Pester

Gastwissenschaftler · Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

Christian Pester
Prof. Dr. Christian Pester
University of Delaware · Newark · USA

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„In einer internationalen interdisziplinaeren Zusammenarbeit mit Jun.-Prof. Sarah Schäfer wollen wir Brücken zwischen Psychologen und Naturwissenschaftlern bauen indem wir mentale Gesundheit und Gesundheitskompetenz in den MINT-Fächern untersuchen und gezielte Interventionen entwickeln um diese zu verbessern.‟

Christian Pester

Forschungsinteressen

Mentale Gesundheit und Mentale Gesundheitskompetenz von Professor*innen und Studierenden in den MINT-Fachbereichen
Mentale Gesundheit in den MINT-Fächern im Ländervergleich Deutschland-USA.

Lebenslauf

September 2024

✅ Associate Professor

University of Delaware – Department of Materials Science & Engineering (Newark, USA)

Dezember 2024

Visiting Research Fellow (Alexander von Humbolt Foundation)

Technische Universität Braunschweig und Leibniz-Institut für Resilienzforschung (LIR)

Dezember 2024

Associate Professor

The Pennsylvania State University – Department of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemistry (Courtesy), Department of Materials Science & Engineering (Courtesy) (Pennsylvania, USA).

2020

Thomas K. Hepler Early Career Professor

in Chemical Engineering

2023

Assistant Professor

The Pennsylvania State University – Department of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemistry (Courtesy), Department of Materials Science & Engineering (Courtesy) (Pennsylvania, USA)

2017

Alexander von Humboldt Feodor Lynen Research Fellow

University of California at Santa Barbara – Materials Department & Materials Research Laboratory (Santa Barbara, USA)

2013

Doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) in Physical Chemistry (summa cum laude)

RWTH Aachen University & DWI – Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien, Titel der Promotion: „Block Copolymers in Electric Fields“ 

2009

Diploma (Dipl.-Chem.) in Polymer and Colloid Chemistry

Universität Bayreuth

Auszeichnungen und Preise

2025

✪ Discussion Leader

Gordon Research Conferences on Polymers (Mt. Holyoke, 2025)

2024

✪ Tosoh Award for Excellence in Polymer Science

Tosoh Bioscience

2023

✪ ACS Polymers Au: Rising Star

American Chemical Society

2023

✪ Journal of Materials Chemistry A: Emerging Investigator

Royal Chemical Society

2023

✪ IUPAC Young Observer

for the 52nd IUPAC General Assembly and 49th World Chemistry Congress

2022

✪ PMSE Young Investigator

American Chemical Society

2022

✪ NSF CAREER Award

National Science Foundation (CBET)

2021

✪ Dean’s Climate and Diversity Award

Pennsylvania State University College of Science (Nominee)

2021

✪ Journal of Polymer Science: Early Career Investigator

Wiley-VCH

2021

✪ IUPAC Young Observer

for the 51st IUPAC General Assembly and 48th World Chemistry Congress

2020

✪ Thomas K. Hepler Early Career Professorship

in Chemical Engineering (The Pennsylvania State University)

2019

✪ ACS PRF DNI

Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator Award (American Chemical Society)

2016

✪ Science as Art Award

by the Center for Science and Engineering Partnerships (UCSB)

2016

✪ Art of Science Award

by the Center for Science and Engineering Partnerships (UCSB)

2015

✪ International Research Fellowship Award

by the International Center for Materials Research (UCSB)

2015

✪ Dow Travel Fellowship

by the Dow Materials institute and the Materials Research Laboratory (UCSB)

2014

✪ Feodor Lynen Award

of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

2014

✪ Borchers Medal

in recognition of outstanding Ph.D. thesis (summa cum laude, RWTH Aachen University)

2012

✪ Young Scientist Travel Grant

by the International Union of Crystallography President’s Fund

Publikationen

Advised graduate student; Undergraduate author; * corresponding author.

2025

  • C. W. Pester*, K. Lieb, and S. K. Schäfer*. Why Mental Health Literacy Can Improve STEM. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.  2025 (in print). doi: 10.1002/anie.202424871

2024

  • T. Schmitt and C. W. Pester*. Modafinil Synthesis using an Eosin Y-photocatalytic Gel Formed by Autocatalyzed Thiol-Ene Crosslinking. Macromol. Chem. Phys. 2024. doi: 10.1002/macp.202400468.
  • L. Mérai, K. Rymsha, J. Yadav, C. W. Pester, A. Fery, Q. A. Besford*. The Influence of Irradiation Wavelength on the Growth of Polymer Brushes by SI-PET-RAFT Polymerisation. J. Polym. Sci. 2024. doi: 10.1002/pol.20241148.
  •  P. Pereira, W. Slear, P. Savage*, and C. W. Pester*. Influence of Metal Salts and Metal Triflates on Post-consumer Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Hydrolysis. ACS EST Engg. 2024. doi : 10.1021/acsestengg.4c00824.
  •  J. Capets, S.F. Yost, B. D. Vogt, and C. W. Pester*. Rapid Self-healing of Robust Surface-tethered Covalent Adaptable Coatings. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2024, 34 (46), 2406277.
  • S. Freeburne, and C. W. Pester*. UV-Light Crosslinked Photocatalytic Polymer Gels for Batch and Continuous Flow Reactions. Polym. Chem. 2024, 15, 2634.
  • B. Hunter, J. L. Sacco, K. Katterle, J. Kirigo, T. K. Wood, E. W. Gomez*, and C. W. Pester*. Photoactive polymer coatings for antibacterial applications. Eur. Polym. J. 2024, 213, 113090.
  • P. Pereira, W. Slear, A. Testa, K. Reasons, P. Guirguis, P. Savage*, and C. W. Pester*. Fast Hydrolysis for Chemical Recycling of PET. RSC Sustainability 2024, 2, 1508.
  • B. Hunter, K. Bell, and C. W. Pester*. Photolabile SI-PET-RAFT initiators for wavelength-selective grafting and de-grafting of polymer brushes. ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2024, 6, 14057.
  • P. Pereira, P. Savage*, and C. W. Pester*. Acid catalyst screening for hydrolysis of post-consumer PET waste and exploration of acidolysis. Green Chemistry 2024, 26, 1964.

2023

  • S. D. K. Seera and C. W. Pester*. Surface-initiated PET-RAFT via the Z-group approach. ACS Polymers Au 2023, 3, 428.
  • C. W. Pester*, H.-A. Klok*, and E. M. Benetti*. Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls in Making, Characterizing and Understanding Polymer Brushes. Macromolecules 2023, 56, 9915.
  • S. Freeburne, J. L. Sacco, E. W. Gomez, and C. W. Pester*. Effects of Surface-Immobilization on Photobleaching of Xanthene Dye Photocatalysts. Macromol. Chem. Phys.  2023, 224, 2300283.
  • S. F. Yost, C. W. Pester*, B. D. Vogt*. Molecular Mass Engineering for Filaments in Material Extrusion Additive Manufacture. J. Polym. Sci. 2023, 62, 2616.
  • S. Freeburne, B. Hunter, K. Bell, and C. W. Pester*. Heterogeneous Photocatalysts for Light-Mediated Polymerization. Chem. Photo Chem.  2023, 7, e202300090.
  • K. Bell, B. Hunter, M. Alvarez, S. D. K. Seera, Y. Guo, S. H. Kim, and C. W. Pester*. Hydrolysis-Resistant Heterogeneous Photocatalysts for PET-RAFT Polymerization in Aqueous Environments. J. Mater. Chem. A  2023, 11, 16616.
  • C. W. Pester*, G. Noh*, and A. Fu. On the Importance of Mental Health in STEM. ACS Polymers Au 2023, 3, 295.
  • A. E. Masucci, M. Ghasemi, C. W. Pester*, and E. D. Gomez*. Enhancing Photoluminescence of Conjugated Nanoparticles through Graft Polymer Architectures. Mater. Adv.  2023, 4, 2586.
  • K. Bell, Y. Guo, S. Barker, S. H. Kim, and C. W. Pester*. Thermoresponsive Polymer Brush Photocatalytic Substrates for Wastewater Remediation. Polym. Chem. 2023. 14, 2662.
  • P. Pereira, P. Savage*, and C. W. Pester*. Neutral Hydrolysis of Post-consumer Polyethylene Terephthalate Waste in Different Phases. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.  2023, 11, 7203.