Julia Bauer joins Breakthrough Energy’s Innovator Fellows program from Spark e-Fuels in Berlin, Germany. Throughout her professional career, sustainable chemical technologies have been her core focus. With a background in chemistry, Julia has developed deep expertise in catalysis and industrial chemistry through roles in both academia and industry. Today, Julia and her team develop the technological foundation that drives Spark’s vision of abundant, sustainable fuels and chemicals.

Spark e-Fuels is pioneering the future of sustainable aviation fuel production with its proprietary, demand-responsive, and scalable e-fuel technology. By enabling cost-effective production, powered by renewable energy, Spark is accelerating the transition to net-zero aviation and driving broader industrial decarbonization. Unlike conventional technologies, Spark’s demand-responsive approach is uniquely designed to directly leverage lowest-cost, but intermittent energy from renewables, whilst significantly reducing energy storage needs. This results in a substantial projected reduction in total production costs, as well as CO2 emissions. Through the Fellows program, Arno, Julia, and Mathias will build strategic partnerships, drive industrial scale-up of Spark’s technology, and advance its path to commercialization.

Julia holds a Bachelor of Science from Universität Bayreuth and a Master of Science from TU Berlin, both in Chemistry with a focus on industrial chemistry. She earned her PhD in heterogeneous catalysis research at the BasCat – UniCat BASF JointLab in Berlin. Outside of work, Julia enjoys discovering Berlin’s vibrant and ever-evolving food and coffee scene, exploring the outdoors, and diving into a variety of DIY projects.