As of 2026 and with the beginning of the new funding period of the Cluster of Excellence POLiS, the GS-EES will transition into an EES Academy. This EES Academy will not only continue all aspects established within the GS-EES – which will remain an integral part of the EES Academy – but also extend its offers to postdoctoral and junior faculty scientist.

Over the past two days, the GS-EES hosted the EIS Workshop 2025 – a focused, practice-oriented training on Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) with the instructors Sandro Haug and Thomas Zubiks from Metrohm Deutschland.

Over the past two days, the GS-EES hosted the EIS Workshop 2025 – a focused, practice-oriented training on Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) with the instructors Sandro Haug and Thomas Zubiks from Metrohm Deutschland.  The workshop provided participants with: A solid foundation in the physical origins of impedance, and the principles behind EIS measurements. Training on hardware and software implementation – giving insight into the measurement setup, as well as hands-on experience with conductivity measurements of battery electrolytes and determination of the MacMullin number. Guidance in modelling electrochemical systems using equivalent circuits, routines for data fitting and evaluation, and best practices for analysis and presentation of impedance spectra. A balanced view of both the potentials and limitations of EIS – highlighting that while EIS is a powerful tool for battery research, careful execution and critical interpretation are essential. We were pleased to welcome researchers from all our partner institutions Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Ulm University and Justus Liebig University Giessen – coming together in Ulm for improving and sharing their knowlegde and skills in EIS.

Intercultural Training took place at Ulm University on 7 November 2025.

On 7 November we conducted an intercultural training to improve communication skills in an international environment. In this practice-oriented course held by Anna Weidlich, the participants learned to understand cultural differences in communication and to identify causes of misunderstandings in international cooperation.

Voice and Language Workshop took place at KIT on 10 October 2025.

Giving presentations – or more generally talking in front of people – is required for all researchers. On 10th October, we had the workshop “Voice and Language” given by Franziska Trischler at KIT to prepare for that. The workshop focused on the use of voice and posture, which was trained by practical exercises

The GS-EES Summer School 2025 brought together around 40 participants, including 20% national and international non-GS-EES members, for an immersive learning experience in the field of energy storage research. Held from July 14–18 in Wildberg, the Summer School offered a comprehensive program featuring expert lectures, participants' presentations, professional skills workshops, and networking activities – all designed towards fostering interdisciplinary exchange.

Around 25 researchers from the POLiS Cluster of Excellence and the Graduate School Electrochemical Energy Storage (GS-EES) had the great opportunity to visit the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) in Ulm – a key player in applied battery research and technology transfer in Germany.

The Workshop "From Bystander to Upstander" took place at Ulm University on 10 December 2024.

On 12th December, we had our Workshop "From Bystander to Upstander" at Ulm University given by Sabine Mariss.

The workshop gave an introduction how bystanders—those who witness situations where harm, discrimination, or injustice occur—have a unique opportunity to make a difference. By choosing to intervene, they can disrupt harmful behaviour, support those affected, and ultimately contribute to the creation of safer and more inclusive spaces.

In a combination of inputs, group discussions, exercises and roleplays ten participants have learnt about:

• What is the bystander-effect and what are its consequences?
• 5 possible interventions: Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, Direct
• How to tackle possible obstacles that come in the way of helping
• The concept of Nonviolent Communication (Marshall Rosenberg) – a powerful tool for courageous, respectful communication

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Workshop took place at KIT on 25 and 26 November 2024.

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) is one of the most often used electrochemical methods in battery research.

19 participants joined the two-day workshop held at KIT. The workshop combined lecture parts and hands-on training on measurements as well as data evaluation to give an introduction into EIS.

Voice and Language Workshop took place at Ulm University on 22 October 2024.

Giving presentations – or more generally talking in front of people – is required for all researchers. Yesterday, we had the workshop “Voice and Language” given by Franziska Trischler at Ulm University to prepare for that. The workshop focused on the use of voice and posture, which was trained by practical exercises

Mental Health Workshop took place at KIT on 16 October 2024.

Yesterday, we had our Mental Health Workshop at Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) with 15 participants given by Birgit Schwinn. The workshop gave an introduction into the topic of mental health, including its definitions, contents and goals, related facts and figures as well as causes and symptoms of mental disorder. The participants learned practices to foster their mental health. A special focus was on topics which are typical for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers.

It is time to introduce you to another GS-EES alumni – Matthias Uhl. Matthias was doing his research in the group of Prof. Dr. Timo Jacob in the Institute of Electrochemistry at Ulm University. We spoke with him shortly after his defense to find out more about his time in the Graduate School and to see what his next steps are.

POLiS doctoral researcher Till Ortmann was awarded a poster prize at the 5th International Symposium on Sodium Batteries in Berlin.

POLiS doctoral student Till Ortmann was awarded a poster prize at the 5th International Sodium Battery Symposium in Berlin.

As part of the 5th International Sodium Battery Symposium, which took place from 23 to 25 September 2025 in Berlin, the organizers Dr. Gustav Gräber and Prof. Dr. Philipp Adelhelm awarded the three best posters with a prize. Till Ortmann is a POLIS doctoral researcher t in the group of Prof. Jürgen Janek at Justus Liebig University Giessen and received a poster prize for his work on t he microstructure elucidation of deposited Na in Na solid-state batteries. The Na-Battery Symposium, which is now being held for the 5th time, is registering a steadily growing number of participants. While 10 people came together for the first meeting, this year in Berlin over 330 participants were present, which clearly emphasizes the importance of Na batteries.

Till Ortmann is also member of the Gradute School "Electrochemical Energy Storage" (GS-EES).

The picture shows from left: Dr. Gustav Gräber (Humboldt University Berlin), Chantal Glatthaar (Justus Liebig University Giessen), Zhenyu Guo (Imperial College, UK), Till Ortmann (Justus Liebig University Giessen), Prof. Dr. Philipp Adelhelm (Humboldt University Berlin).

You can know register for the Workshop “Voice and Language" which will be held on 22nd October 2024 at Ulm University.

Scope

In academia we are constantly required to speak with and in front of people. These situations can be challenging not just in terms of content but also vocally. With a little practice it is possible to construct precise formulations, have a well-trained and strong voice with clear diction and modulation. This allows you to attend conferences and seminars well-armed to make your presentations and contributions more effective and to deal with critical situations calmly.

 

Date and Location

22 October 2024, 09:00 – 17:00 h Universität Ulm, Lise-Meitner-Straße 16

 

Registration

The workshop is open for GS-EES members and all POLiS affiliates including post-docs. The number of participants is restricted to 10. If we receive more registrations, we will organize an additional workshop as soon as possible.

Participants of this workshop can gain 0,5 CP for “Communication” in the GS-EES qualification program.

Register online until 06 October 2024

We have successfully completed this year’s GS-EES Summer School, which took place from 23rd to 26th July 2024 at the beautiful Monbach valley. Out of the 39 participants, 33 GS-EES members joined the event. We are happy that we could additionally welcome 6 participants doing their doctorate all over Europe. This is a big gain for networking opportunities at the Summer School.

We have successfully completed this year’s GS-EES Summer School, which took place from 23rd to 26th July 2024 at the beautiful Monbach valley. 

Out of the 39 participants, 33 GS-EES members joined the event. We are happy that we could additionally welcome 6 participants doing their doctorate all over Europe. This is a big gain for networking opportunities at the Summer School.

The lecture program was comprised of three scientific lectures on Battery Systems, Vibrational Spectroscopy in Battery Research and Batteries from the Perspective of Modern Electrochemistry and New Materials.

Additionally, there was also a mini-workshop on “Presentation Skill for Scientists” after which the participants could get direct feedback on their posters from the trainer.

A major part of the program was scientific exchange between the participants in forms of oral and poster presentations. Further opportunities to get to know each other and have fun together were the hike through the picturesque Monbach valley, the barbecue dinner and other spontaneous activities such as a game of beach volleyball or a visit to the spa in Bad Liebenzell.

Laurin Derr is in his third year of his PhD doing his research at the Institute of Physical Chemistry at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in the group of Professor Rolf Schuster which is also part of POLiS – Cluster of Excellence. Like other members of the GS-EES – Graduate School Electrochemical Energy Storage, Laurin has spent his research stay abroad at Uppsala University in Sweden. There, he was in the Institute of Structural Chemistry under the supervision of Associate Professor Maria Hahlin. Why he has chosen Uppsala University, what he learned and what advice he would give to young researchers who are also planning a stay abroad is what we discussed with him.

So far, we have introduced you to new members of the GS-EES – Graduate School Electrochemical Energy Storage or shared features of doctoral researchers who returned from their research stay abroad. Now it's time to catch up with our alumni and today, we start with Dr. Manuel Dillenz who was a member of the GS-EES for about four years while doing his research in the group of Prof. Dr. Axel Groß at Ulm University. Why he joined the GS-EES, what his highlight was and why he would recommend new doctoral researchers to join the GS-EES are just a few things we asked him.

Benjamin Schick, member of the GS-EES – Graduate School Electrochemical Energy Storage is doctoral researcher in the Institute of Electrochemistry at Ulm University doing his research within POLiS – Cluster of Excellence. As all members of the GS-EES, Benjamin also spent three months abroad doing research in a foreign laboratory. Why he chose Sweden, what challenges he had and wether or not his expectations were met are only some of the questions we discussed with him.

Mahla Talari is doctoral researcher in the Institute for Applied Materials – Energy Storage Systems (IAM-ESS) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) led by Prof. Dr. Helmut Ehrenberg and member of the research group „Materials Synthesis for Energy Storage“ of Dr. Fabian Jeschull. She recently returned from her research stay in Sweden where she spent time at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. In this video interview, we find out what made her go to Sweden, what challenges she faced and what she learned for her future work.