People

Benedikt (Ben) Lassalle-Kaiser

Benedikt was trained as a molecular chemist from the Universities of Strasbourg (BSc) and Paris-Sud (MSc) in France. He completed his PhD at the Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay of the Université Paris-Sud under the guidance of Dr. Elodie Anxolabéhère-Mallart and Pr. Ally Aukauloo. His research project was focused on the synthesis and characterization of high valent manganese complexes, models of the Oxygen Evolving Complex of Photosystem II.

He did a first post-doc with Dr. A. W. Rutherford at the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, where he worked on the electrochemistry and photoelectrochemistry of Photosystem II. In 2009, he moved to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the group of Drs. Junko Yano and Vittal Yachandra. During this period, he worked on both natural and artificial photosynthesis using synchrotron and free electron laser sources. He has collaborated with several groups from the DOE-funded energy hub Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (Pr. P. Alivisatos, Pr. C. Chang, U.C. Berkeley) and from other universities in the USA (Pr. T. Jaramillo, Stanford University; Pr. D. Nocera, Harvard University). His activities in the field led him to be the co-chair of the Gordon Research Seminar on Renewable Energy : Solar Fuels in 2012.

In 2014, he was hired as a beamline scientist on the LUCIA beamline of the Synchrotron SOLEIL, where he develops spectroelectrochemical techniques to couple X-ray spectroscopies with electrocatalytic reactions. His research focuses on the study of materials and molecules for energy-related electrocatalytic reactions such as the OER, HER or CO2RR. From 2014 to 2021, he headed the microfluidic laboratory of Synchrotron SOLEIL, which aim is to combine microfluidic systems with synchrotron-based X-ray techniques. In 2022, he was awarded a fellowship from the University of Strasbourg Institute of Advanced Studies, to study the synthesis of hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites under microfluidic conditions using X-ray techniques and electron microscopy.

In 2024 he was appointed as a CNRS Junior Professor in the ITODYS Laboratory of the Université Paris Cité in Paris, France. There, he will focus on the structure and behavior of electrolytes at the solid-liquid interface under electrocatalytic conditions using in situ spectroscopic tools.

Education

2004 BSc in Chemistry, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France

2005 MSc in Chemistry, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France

2008 PhD in Chemistry, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France

2019 Habilitation in Chemistry, université Paris-Saclay, Saclay, France

Appointments

2008 - 2009 Post-doctoral fellow at the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA) in Saclay, France.

2009 - 2012 Post-doctoral fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in Berkeley, CA, USA.

2012 - 2014 Post-doctoral fellow at Synchrotron SOLEIL in Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

2014 - present Beamline Scientist at the LUCIA Beamline at Synchrotron SOLEIL.

2015 - 2021 Responsible for the Microfluidic Laboratory at Synchrotron SOLEIL.

2025 - present Junior Professor at the CNRS/Université Paris Cité in Paris, France.

Publication metrics about BLK can be found through the following tools:

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Current group members

Dr. Sharmin Afroz Sharna

Sharmin began her academic journey with a Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering at the University of Manchester, UK, followed by an Erasmus Mundus Double Master's in Material Science across institutions in France and Germany.

Under the guidance of Prof. Ovidiu Ersen, Sharmin completed her Ph.D. in collaboration with IFP Energies Nouvelles in Lyon and the University of Strasbourg in 2021. Her research focused on unravelling the ageing mechanisms of heterogeneous copper-based materials for thermochemical CO2 capture process. Utilizing advanced techniques like in situ TEM, in situ XAS, and X-ray microscopy, she developed robust data analysis protocols, leading to multiple publications and presentations.

Currently, she is working as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the LUCIA beamline, where she is expanding her expertise in studying catalysts and electrocatalysts using operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Apart from her research pursuits, she is an avid reader, enjoys experimenting with cuisines from around the world, and finds solace in backpacking adventures.

Dr. Soumya Kumar Das

Soumya earned his B.Sc. in Physics from Calcutta University in 2017, followed by an M.Sc. from IIT Madras, where he studied ferroelectric materials. He then joined the Erasmus Mundus MaMaSELF program in Materials Science, studying at TUM and University of Rennes 1. His Master thesis at ILL, France, focused on nanoconfinement in thin films.

He completed his Ph.D. at Ghent University and ESRF, France, researching the elements of a dry reforming catalyst and a multifunctional looping material using X-ray based Spectroscopy (XRS, XAS, XES) along with FDMNES simulations to study the electronic structure and phase evolution. His efforts resulted in several publications as first author.

Currently, he is working as a Postdoctoral Researcher at ITODYS in Paris, focusing on solid-liquid interfaces through soft/tender XAS and IR spectroscopy.

Outside research, Soumya enjoys traveling and dancing.

Mr. Victor Chemineau

Victor obtained a technical diploma in Physics from the Université de Rouen and an engineering degree from the Université Paris Cité in France. He joined the group as a engineer for the LUMA PEPR project, where SOLEIL acts as a plateform for the study of photo(electro)catalytic systems. He is in charge of the design, fabrication and test of photo(electro)catalytic cells for in situ/operando X-ray spectroscopic experiments on photocatalytic materials. He will specifically focus on vacuum-compatible systems compatible with low-energy X-ray techniques.

Besides designing photochemical cells, Victor plays basketball.

Ms. Clara Garcia

Clara followed a double Bachelor of Science in Physics and Chemistry at the Université Paris Cité, which she obtained in 2023. She then enrolled in the CHENS (Chimie - Energie - Nanosciences - Surfaces) Master program from the Université Paris Cité. She joined the group as a Master 1 intern, working on in situ Infra-red spectroscopy coupled to electrocatalytic reactions (CO2 reduction and alcohol oxidation). Clara is strongly involved in the life of the Université Paris Cité, as she is the vice-dean representative for students.

Besides Infra-red spectroelectrochemistry, Clara enjoys roller-skate riding in Paris.

Joint students

Ms. Marie-Sophie Dias Fernandes

Marie-Sophie obtained her BSc in Physics from the Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France. She then joined the Master programm "Materials for Energy and transportation" from the Université Paris-Saclay, France and did her Master's thesis on the study of Lithium Vanadate all solid batteries at the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique in Saclay. She joined the group as a PhD student in 2022 to study the electrochemical behavior and structure of heterofunctional HER electrocatalysts, developed in the context of the HYKALIN ANR project. She shares her time between SOLEIL and the Laboratoire de Chimie Moléculaire at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, under the guidance of Dr. Cédric Tard.

When she is not running cylcic voltamograms , Marie-Sophie enjoys playing basketball as well as other sports.