ERC Grant for Michael Martin Nielsen

It is a great privilege to receive this grant, which gives me a unique opportunity to explore a new direction in my research career, shifting from organic synthesis and catalysis to research on the origin of life and photochemistry. The grant enables me to hire my first generation of postdocs and PhD students, and I’m extremely excited about what we will discover over the next five years.”

The Role of Visible Light in the Formation of Life on Early Earth

Michael Martin Nielsen receives the ERC grant to investigate the role of visible light in driving chemical reactions before the emergence of life on Earth, using photocatalysts – meaning light can initiate chemical processes – that could have been present on Earth at that time. While ultraviolet light has traditionally been the main focus in early Earth chemistry due to its high energy and ability to efficiently break chemical bonds, it can also destroy important organic material. This creates a central paradox for UV light as an energy source for prebiotic chemistry (prebiotic = the period in Earth’s history before biological life emerged).

In contrast, visible light, when combined with photocatalysts, can drive important chemical transformations without the need for protective mechanisms associated with UV-driven chemistry.

Chemical Processes Driven by Visible vs. Ultraviolet Light

The project involves the synthesis and characterization of a wide range of photocatalysts. These will then be tested in selected prebiotic reactions and compared with established UV-initiated processes to determine whether visible light can drive similar or complementary chemistry.

By achieving these goals, Michael aims to provide examples of visible-light photocatalysis on early Earth. This will hopefully enhance our understanding of how visible light contributed to the formation of life’s building blocks and suggest an alternative mechanism for the accumulation of the key molecules that led to the origin of life on Earth.