Insights into the lab of our smart scientists

Andreas Büchse originally wanted to become a farmer. Today, as a statistician in research at BASF, he helps to ensure that as much knowledge as possible is gained from experiments. In this interview, he explains how statistical models can make products more sustainable and even make animal testing obsolete.

How do you create an adhesive that stops sticking at the push of a button? That’s what expert Anna Maria Cristadoro is researching together with her team. In the interview, she gives us surprising insights into her work that could bring us a significant step closer to a circular economy. 

Without them, neither photosynthesis nor respiration nor energy production from food would be possible: catalysts. In the form of enzymes, they enable almost all vital chemical reactions in living organisms. They also clean the exhaust fumes of our cars. Catalysts are also irreplaceable for the production of many chemical products. But to this day, catalysts pose many questions to science, because little is known about the details of how they work. Florina Corina Patcas has been researching catalysts for 25 years and is deciphering their secrets piece by piece.

Her love of math and science naturally led Samantha to follow in her father’s footsteps and study chemical engineering. Today she is always on the lookout for new ways to reduce the CO₂ footprint of different products.

He is able to control how much foam a detergent forms or how quickly cement dries: Padma Prabodh Varanasi develops and tests industrial formulators – special ingredients that determine the properties of a product.