I'm Thom Hersbach. Project Scientist at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource and Policy Fellow at the Woods Institute.

I'm Thomas Hersbach, a Project Scientist at the Stanford synchrotron and a Policy Fellow at the Woods Institute. My work focuses on the socio-technological aspects of addressing climate change.

I obtained my BSc in Molecular Science & Technology with distinction in 2012, from Leiden University and Delft University of Technology (co-op bachelors program). I did my thesis research in the Catalysis and Surface Chemistry (CASC) group at Leiden University. This electrocatalysis work was published in Topics in Catalysis.

In 2012, I began my masters at Leiden University. During this MSc progam, I followed the extracurricular Leiden Leadership Programme. I also wrote two Master's theses (published in JACS and JPCL): one with CASC at Leiden University, and one in the Jaramillo group at Stanford University. I then received my MSc degree with distinction in August 2014.

After obtaining my MSc, I started my PhD project with Marc Koper. My PhD focused on cathodic corrosion: a counter-intuitive electrochemical process that corrodes electrodes under cathodic (negative) polarization. According to conventional knowledge, this corrosion should not happen. In addition, it creates highly ordered etch pits and nanoparticles. My studies of cathodic corrosion have led to publications describing the fundamental changes underlying cathodic corrosion and their practical applications. Most of these articles were included in my PhD thesis, which I defended with distinction on December 19, 2018.

Following my graduation, I did a one-year postdoctoral fellowship in the group of Richard Crooks, where I studied fundamental interactions between dendrimers and foreign molecules.

I then held a 3.5-year postdoctoral appointment with Dimosthenis Sokaras at the Stanford synchrotron, where I worked on operando X-ray studies of biomass conversion and water splitting electrocatalysts.

In my free time, I enjoy running, reading, (indoor/outdoor) gardening, coffee/beer brewing, and making the world a better place. When it comes to my work, I'm interested in many things, but particularly in:

• Sustainability
• Electrocatalysis
• Hydrogen
• Cathodic Corrosion
• The Socio-Politics of Climate Change
• Environmental Justice
• X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy
• Storytelling