Rate My Professor Annette Rompel

Annette Rompel is Univ.-Prof. Dr. and serves as Chair in Biophysical Chemistry in the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Vienna, a position she has held as full professor since 2008, making her the first female professor of chemistry at the institution. She completed her chemistry studies from 1984 to 1990 and her PhD in the Department of Biochemistry from 1990 to 1993 at the University of Münster, Germany. Post-doctorate, she was a research associate at the Structural Biology Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, USA (1995-1996), followed by research positions at the University of Münster (1996-1997, 2001-2004, 2006-2007), an assistant professorship at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense (2004), an associate professor replacement in biotechnology at Münster (2005-2006), and visiting professorships at the University of Vienna (2006, 2007-2008). As head of the Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Rompel has established an interdisciplinary research environment and mentored prominent female scientists, including recipients of ERC grants and Lise Meitner Fellowships, while advocating for gender balance as a scientific advisor on the Austrian Science Fund board for inorganic chemistry.

Rompel's research at the interface of inorganic chemistry and biology centers on polyoxometalates (POMs), investigating their speciation, stability in aqueous solutions, and applications in environmental remediation, energy storage, and biomedicine, alongside studies of type-III copper enzymes such as bacterial tyrosinases and ortho-aminophenol oxidases. Notable publications include 'Polyoxometalates in solution: speciation under spotlight' (Chemical Society Reviews, 2020, with N.I. Gumerova), 'Synthesis, structures and applications of electron-rich polyoxometalates' (Nature Reviews Chemistry, 2018, with N.I. Gumerova), 'Speciation atlas of polyoxometalates in aqueous solutions' (Science Advances, 2023, with N.I. Gumerova and I. Gregorovic), 'Polyoxometalates as potential next-generation metallodrugs in the combat against cancer' (Angewandte Chemie, 2019, with A. Bijelic and M. Aureliano), and recent contributions like 'Polyoxometalates in environmental remediation and energy storage' (Environmental Science: Nano, 2026, with I. Gregorovic et al.) and 'Structural insights into ortho-aminophenol oxidases' (Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers, 2026, with H. Le Xuan). Her accolades include the Rudolf von Bennigsen-Foerder-Preis (2000), Lise-Meitner-Habilitandenstipendium (2000), STA-fellowship from Japan Science and Technology Corporation (1999), and multiple Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft stipends (1993-1995, 1997-1999). With substantial academic impact evidenced by her extensive publication record, Rompel advances solutions to pressing challenges in ecology, health, and technology.