Dr.-Ing. Lena Bühre
Junior Research Group Leader “Electrochemical Energy and Material Conversion” (habilitation candidate)
Dr.-Ing. Lena Bühre
Junior Research Group Leader “Electrochemical Energy and Material Conversion” (habilitation candidate)
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Research focus areas
- Development and optimization of innovative materials and electrode structures for proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE), with a focus on high-performance and durable catalyst layers.
- Investigation of transport phenomena, reaction kinetics, and degradation mechanisms in catalyst-coated membranes through the combination of experimental methods and modeling-based approaches.
- Development of standardized benchmarking and characterization methods for PEM and AEM electrolyzers using electrochemical diagnostics, including distribution of relaxation times (DRT) analysis.
- Analysis of aging, corrosion, and contact resistance phenomena in electrodes, bipolar plates, and cell components under realistic long-term operating conditions.
- Research on scalable electrolysis systems and their grid-supportive integration into multi-megawatt and gigawatt energy systems to support a sustainable hydrogen economy.
- Characterization and analysis of materials and processes for electrochemical energy and material conversion processes.
Scientific and Working Experience
| since 2026 | Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Electric Power Systems, Leibniz University Hannover |
| 2024-2026 | Postdoctoral Researcher at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NRL, formerly NREL), Golden, Colorado, USA |
| 2022 | Research Associate at the University of British Columbia, Mérida Labs, Vancouver, Canada |
| 2020-2024 | Research Associate and Doctoral Candidate at the Institute of Electric Power Systems, Leibniz University Hannover; doctorate awarded with distinction (“summa cum laude”) |
| 2021 | M.Sc. in Energy Technology, Leibniz University Hannover, graduated with distinction (grade 1.0) |
| 2021 | Student Research Assistant at the Hawai‘i Natural Energy Institute, Honolulu, USA |
Selected Scholarships, Research Funding, and Awards
- Dr.-Wilhelmy-VDI Award for Outstanding Dissertations 2025
- Award for Outstanding Theses from the Foundation of the Chamber of Engineers of Lower Saxony 2024
- Merit Scholarship of the DAAD Foundation e.V. 2022
- Merit Scholarship of the Dr. Jürgen and Irmgard Ulderup Foundation 2020
- Scholarship Holder of the Heinrich Böll Foundation 2014–2019
- Hamburg VDI Award for Outstanding Theses 2017
Publications and research projects
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Publications (Click here)
First 1The Impact of Catalyst Layer Composition and Structure on Performance and Durability of PEMWE Anodes. / Bühre, Lena V.; Khedekar, Kaustubh; Reeves, Kimberly S. et al.
In: Advanced Materials Technologies, Vol. 11, No. 6, e01870, 18.03.2026.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
Mitigating Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Artifacts in PEMWE Reference Electrode Measurements. / Buehre, Lena V.; Hansen, Kentaro U.; Henckel, Danielle et al.
In: ECS Advances, Vol. 4, No. 4, 044501, 12.2025.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
Inductive loops in impedance spectra of PEM water electrolyzers. / Brinker, Debora; Hensle, Niklas; Horstmann de la Viña, Jerónimo et al.
In: Journal of power sources, Vol. 622, 235375, 01.12.2024.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
Analysis of Kinetic and Ohmic Resistances in PEM Water Electrolysis through Reference Electrode Measurements. / Bühre, Lena V.; Mourali, Mustafa; Trinke, Patrick et al.
In: Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol. 171, No. 5, 054518, 29.05.2024.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
Reference Electrodes in Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis: Previous Approaches, Current Application, and Perspectives. / Bühre, Lena V.; Bensmann, Boris; Hanke-Rauschenbach, Richard.
In: Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol. 171, No. 5, 054519, 29.05.2024.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › Research › peer review
Reference electrodes in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis characterization: experimental investigation of oxygen and hydrogen evolution reaction kinetics. / Bühre, Lena Viviane.
Hannover: Leibniz Universität Hannover, 2024. 176 p.Research output: Thesis › Doctoral thesis
Anode and cathode overpotentials under accelerated stress testing of a PEM electrolysis cell. / McLeod, Alexander J.; Bühre, Lena V.; Bensmann, Boris et al.
In: Journal of power sources, Vol. 589, 233750, 01.01.2024.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
Adaptation of a PEMFC Reference Electrode to PEMWE: Possibilities and Limitations. / Bühre, Lena V.; McLeod, Alexander J.; Trinke, Patrick et al.
In: Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol. 170, No. 9, 094507, 30.09.2023.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
Application and Analysis of a Salt Bridge Reference Electrode Setup for PEM Water Electrolysis: Towards an Extended Voltage Loss Break Down. / Bühre, Lena V.; Bullerdiek, Sven; Trinke, Patrick et al.
In: Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol. 169, No. 12, 124513, 12.2022.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
Development of an oxygen mass transport coefficient measurement and separation method for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. / Buehre, Lena Viviane; Suermann, Michel; Bethune, Keith et al.
Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells & Electrolyzers 20 (PEFC & E 20). Curran Associates Inc., 2020. p. 153-162 (ECS Transactions; Vol. 98, No. 9).Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Research › peer review
Femtosecond laser-induced surface structuring of the porous transport layers in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis. / Suermann, Michel; Gimpel, Thomas; Bühre, Lena V. et al.
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Vol. 8, No. 9, 24.02.2020, p. 4898-4910.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
