Mali Rosnes Husby

Mali Husby Rosnes is associate professor at the Department of Chemistry and the leader of the TMS starting grant project “Recyclable Catalysts for Sustainable Polymers from CO2 and Bio-based Epoxides (ReCat4Polymer)”. She has a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Glasgow (2011). After a postdoctoral position in Glasgow, she came to the Department of Chemistry, UiB, with a personal postdoctoral research fellowship from the Research Council of Norway (2013-2016). In 2017, she started as an associate professor (non tenured) at the department. From August 2022, she is permanently employed in this position. There are also two PhD candidates and one researcher who will work on the project, as well as local and international partners.

The aim of the TMS project is to develop efficient and fully recyclable catalysts for the sustainable production of modern materials without the use of fossil raw materials. Catalysts, which increase the speed of a chemical reaction without themselves being used up, are essential to modern society as they enable the sustainable production of materials on which we depend. The project focuses specifically on the development of recyclable catalysts for the production of sustainable polymers, where CO₂ and bio-based epoxides will be used as raw materials. This will be an important contribution to the UN’s 12th sustainability goal; “Responsible consumption and production”. The key to obtaining suitable and recyclable catalysts lies in introducing polyoxometalates (POMs). POMs are a special class of inorganic compounds that are one of Rosnes’ specialties from her time in Glasgow.