Silke Behrens studied chemistry at the University of Karlsruhe (Germany), the École Européenne des Hautes Études des Industries Chimiques de Strasbourg (EHICS) (France), and Emory University, Atlanta (USA). She received her Ph.D. from the University of Karlsruhe in 1997. In 1998, she joined the Institute of Technical Chemistry at the Research Center Karlsruhe. She received her Habilitation at the University of Heidelberg in 2012. She is currently a professor at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and leading the Nanostructured Materials for Catalytic Processes group at the Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology. Her research interests include the synthesis of colloidal nanoparticles and their integration in hybrid materials and model catalysts for syngas chemistry and selective hydrogenation.