Hannes Houck is a Royal Society University Research Fellow and Assistant Professor at the University of Warwick, UK. He heads the Photochemistry for Materials team, developing novel photochemical concepts that overcome fundamental challenges in organic synthesis, photochemistry and polymer science. His current core research focuses on fundamental organic photochemistry combined with a strong dedication to make advanced materials with improved functionality and sustainability, including (bio)degradability and closed-loop recycling. For example, his team designs small molecule photoaddition reactions that allow for the efficient formation of covalently bound products under (visible) light irradiation, whereby the resulting adducts display smart responsive behaviour, incl. degradation and intrinsic depolymerisation, that can be activated on-demand.
Hannes was awarded a dual PhD degree in Chemistry from Ghent University, Belgium and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany (summa cum laude) working on the controlling the organic reactivity of triazolinedione reagents for applications in polymer synthesis (supervised by Prof. Filip Du Prez and Prof. Barner-Kowollik). Following alternating research stays in Belgium, Germany and Australia, he became fascinated about how light is capable of altering the chemical nature of small organic molecules, which in turn can change a material’s macroscopic properties such as its strength and colour. After his PhD, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Ghent University, creating new photoresists for 3D laser printing and being involved in industrial projects in the area of recyclable thermosets, on-demand curable coatings and de-bondable adhesives. In 2021, Hannes was awarded a EUTOPIA-SIF fellowship (MSCA Co-Fund), moving to the University of Warwick to start his independent research career and develop his own scientific vision under the mentorship of Prof. David Haddleton. He was awarded a prestigious 8-year Royal Society University Research Fellowship (1.9 M£) in 2023, establishing the Photochemistry for Materials team that he has been heading since. In 2025, he received an ERC-StG to develop circular photo-inks for 3D printing applications.