Image of Sebastian Brosch in a blue shirt in an office.

Sebastian Brosch

PhD
Pronouns: He/Him

Affiliations

Postdoctoral Associate

Schulich School of Engineering, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

Contact information

Background

Educational Background

Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, 2026

M.Sc. Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 2019

Research

Areas of Research

Microfluidics and Transport Visualization

My research addresses the transport and reaction phenomena that limit electrochemical energy conversion - the processes that determine whether CO₂ electrolyzers, water electrolyzers, and fuel cells perform at the scale their thermodynamics promise. My doctoral work resolved wetting and reaction at the triple-phase boundary of gas diffusion electrodes for CO₂ reduction; my current work examines water, ion, and catalyst transport in ionomer membranes for PEM electrolyzers and fuel cells. To study these systems I build microfluidic micromodels of porous electrodes and membranes using microfabrication and 3D printing, and observe them in operando with confocal microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging. Miniaturizing reactors to the microfluidic scale makes visible the pore-scale interfacial behaviour that governs device-scale efficiency.

Participation in university strategic initiatives

Awards

  • Walter Benjamin Scholarship, German Research Foundation (DFG). 2026
  • Borchers Medal, RWTH Aachen University. 2026
  • Globalink Research Award, Mitacs. 2025
  • Erasmus+ Travel Grant, European Union. 2019
  • Education Fund Stipend, RWTH Aachen University. 2017

Publications