# Benjamin List

_German chemist (1968-)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/benjamin-list
Last updated: 2026-10-30

> Benjamin List is a German chemist who is one of the directors of the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research and professor of organic chemistry at the University of Cologne. He co-developed organocatalysis, a method of accelerating chemical reactions and making them more efficient. He shared the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with David MacMillan "for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis".

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 11 January 1968 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105572#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Frankfurt ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105572#P19))
- **Citizenship:** Germany ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105572#P27))
- **Occupation:** chemist; university teacher; scientist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105572#P106))
- **Education:** Freie Universität Berlin; Goethe University Frankfurt ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105572#P69))
- **Awards:** Otto Bayer Award; Horst Pracejus Prize; Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize; Ruhrpreis for Arts and Science; Carl Duisberg Memorial Award; Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany; Mukaiyama Award; Clarivate Citation Laureates; honorary member of the Physics Association (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105572#P166))

## Questions

**When was Benjamin List born?**  
Benjamin List was born on 11 January 1968 in Frankfurt.

**Where did Benjamin List study?**  
Benjamin List was educated at Freie Universität Berlin, Goethe University Frankfurt.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Benjamin List](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_List) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q105572](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105572) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Empfang für Benjamin List im Rathaus Köln-7597-crop.jpg by Raimond Spekking (CC BY-SA 4.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empfang_f%C3%BCr_Benjamin_List_im_Rathaus_K%C3%B6ln-7597-crop.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Benjamin List, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Empfang für Benjamin List im Rathaus Köln-7597-crop.jpg — Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0.

## Cite this page

"Benjamin List". DigiNepal. Last updated 30 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/benjamin-list. Retrieved 5 November 2026.