A passion for synthesis

Prof. Mollitor, you have been a professor of organic chemistry and organic spectroscopy at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences since December 2020. How have you found your first few months here?

Unfortunately, I haven’t yet been able to meet everyone in the faculty in person. For a university, it’s unusually quiet and deserted right now. I do miss the typical campus life that I remember from my own studies in Leipzig.

Face-to-face conversations with colleagues and, above all, with students have had to be kept to a minimum during the current lockdown. Were you nevertheless able to make some initial personal connections?

The colleagues and students I’ve had the chance to meet in person so far have welcomed me very warmly and been very helpful. But, unfortunately, we haven’t been able to meet in person on campus yet. Of course, a video conference can only partially make up for that.

What impressions have you formed so far of Zittau and the region?

The region isn’t entirely unfamiliar to me. Even as a child, I came here on vacation with my parents or on my own to one of the children’s summer camps that used to be held here. It’s a scenic, unspoiled region that’s perhaps somewhat underrated and, fortunately, isn’t overrun with tourists as a result. The city—and especially the downtown area—has pleasantly surprised me. Many buildings and facades have been renovated, creating a welcoming cityscape. You can tell that the city is undergoing a transformation. The HSZG is certainly playing a major role in this.

Your area of expertise is organic chemistry and organic spectroscopy. Could you briefly describe the main focuses of your teaching and research?

I want to give students a fundamental understanding of organic chemistry and show them how many areas of daily life it applies to. To do this, it’s important to understand what they’ve learned and apply it practically in the lab. The great thing about the natural sciences is that, based on just a few laws and rules, you can derive and explain a wide variety of other phenomena and observations. Furthermore, with over 10 years of professional experience, I know what knowledge and skills are required of a graduate in the chemical industry, so I can tailor my teaching accordingly.

In research, I intend to leverage the potential of my synthesis and analytical laboratory, including through collaboration with regional industry partners. For example, we are able to synthesize custom organic structures and determine their detailed structures.

Due to the pandemic, the focus at HSZG is currently on digital teaching. What challenges did this present for you when designing your curriculum?

Although the content of the lectures and seminars will not change, it is, of course, a shame that I can only offer my classes / courses virtually. Unfortunately, this type of teaching cannot replace direct human interaction. The situation is even more difficult when it comes to lab practicals, which, as is well known, are a key focus of the applied natural sciences degree programme. We can only hope that the labs will be available for use again starting in the summer semester.

Are there any components of the curriculum that must take place in person (experiments, internships, etc.), and if so, how are they currently being implemented?

Yes, I would like to conduct the oral exams on campus in accordance with the applicable hygiene protocol. I think this is also in the students’ best interest, especially since I neither know the examinees from previous semesters nor have I ever met them in person.

Before your appointment at HSZG, you worked for ten years in Radeberg at ABX advanced biochemical compounds GmbH, a supplier of so-called PET precursors and FDG reagent kits. Can you briefly outline your responsibilities there? How did that experience prepare you for your current teaching role?

At ABX GmbH, I worked as the laboratory manager of a synthesis lab in the Department of Medical Chemistry. Essentially, I was responsible for developing synthesis methods for novel organic molecules intended for subsequent use in nuclear medicine. In this role, I collaborated in an interdisciplinary manner with radiochemists and nuclear medicine specialists. In addition to my work in the lab—where I was supported by 2–3 lab technicians—my daily tasks included effective project management and regular communication with our clients. A particular challenge was establishing complex syntheses in accordance with GMP guidelines, as required by the pharmaceutical industry.
During this time, I regularly had high school or college students in my lab and supervised them as part of their internships. I can now draw on this experience working with young people at HSZG.

If you think back, what was the defining moment that sparked your passion for organic chemistry?

To be honest, the spark didn’t ignite right away, and the first lectures didn’t immediately captivate me. It wasn’t until I was finally able to apply the theory in the lab and had carried out my first syntheses on my own that my passion was ignited. From that point on, I knew for certain that I wanted to devote myself intensively to organic chemistry in the future.

You earned your degree in chemistry from the University of Leipzig in 2008. What was your dissertation about, and does the topic still hold research interest for you today?

Research in organic chemistry is broadly divided into two areas: 1. The development of new synthetic methods—one could also call them “molecular tools”—and 2. The application of these “tools” to synthesize molecules. As part of my PhD thesis, I focused on the application—more specifically, the total synthesis—of a complex marine natural product. In the process, I was able to apply a range of synthetic methods in practice. Today, other topics seem more interesting to me, since, on the one hand, the natural product has not established itself as a therapeutic agent, and on the other hand, it has since been successfully synthesized by several research groups.

Whether in research and teaching, your personal circle, or your private interests, is there a person who has had a particularly formative influence on you in the past—either in relation to your professional field or as a private individual?

I think of my grandfather, who, with his warm-hearted nature, played an important role in our lives as children from the time I was very young. He motivated me to learn and supported me along the way. He always took a keen interest in my scientific work and gave me valuable advice.

Beyond subject matter and methodology, what else would you like to pass on to your students as a teacher and as a person?

In addition to the subject matter, I also want to show young people how to treat one another with respect and tolerance. It’s so important for later life to work together with others to achieve things—this brings much more joy than crossing the finish line first on your own.

When you’re not busy in the lab or the lecture hall, where else might one find you under normal circumstances?

Right now, my free time is quite limited, which isn’t just due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Otherwise, I’d be out on my bike or enjoying the outdoors with my family.

The interview was conducted by Cornelia Rothe, M.A.