Dr. Noah Al-Shamery, a postdoctoral researcher in the IOM research group “Switchable Molecularly Functionalized Surfaces”, has received 24 months of funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) through its Walter Benjamin Programme. The programme enables early-career researchers to pursue an independent research project after completing their doctorate and to further develop their scientific profile.
Through his project A-SPM (Advanced Scanning Probe Microscopy), Al-Shamery will employ advanced scanning probe and electrochemical methods to investigate charge-storage and information-writing mechanisms in sustainable functional materials at the micro- and nanoscale. His research will include scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) alongside complementary spectroscopic and scanning probe techniques. The aim is to gain a deeper understanding of local electrochemical processes and develop new methodological approaches for investigating and selectively programming functional surfaces.
The funding connects two international research environments. During the first twelve months, Al-Shamery will conduct the project through a Walter Benjamin Position at IOM in collaboration with Dr. Kirill Monakhov. This will be followed by a twelve-month Walter Benjamin Fellowship at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, in collaboration with Prof. Tobias Benselfelt. The project thereby connects IOM’s expertise in surface research and nanoelectrochemistry with complementary methods and materials in an international research environment.
Al-Shamery has been a postdoctoral researcher at IOM since May 2026. Prior to joining the institute, he completed a Joint PhD at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. With the DFG funding, he will now further establish his independent research direction in Advanced Scanning Probe Microscopy at IOM. In addition to his research, he is already involved in student supervision and will also contribute to teaching.
The successful proposal further strengthens research on advanced characterization methods and functional surfaces at IOM while expanding the institute’s international research collaborations.