HypMol
Kirill Monakhov, HYP*MOL scientist in project A5, is among the mentors of the Class of 2023 of the International Younger Chemist Network “IYCN”. The Leipzig chemist from the Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering (IOM) is thus part of a group of 17 scientists from all over the world that “aims to connect chemists from all over the world and to support and prepare current PhD students in the chemical sciences to make informed career decisions.”
Photo: Christian Hüller
The PreDoc Award at Leipzig University is a funding programme for young scientists in the pre-doctoral phase and post-docs for the supervision of prospective doctoral students. The two HYP*MOL project leaders Christina Lamers (Z2) and Georg Künze (A2 & B2), both from the Faculty of Medicine (Institute for Drug Discovery), are part of this year’s cohort of the Leipzig University PreDoc Award. Lamers is represented twice, since the PreDoc concepts of its two prospective doctoral students Tom Götze (Peptide dendrimers as innovative drug delivery systems) and Maximilian Hoffmann (Development of advanced complement inhibitors: A computational-experimental approach for the design of cyclic peptides to inhibit C5) have been accepted. On the other hand, Georg Künze’s prospective doctoral student Norbert Gräfe (Development of improved enzymes for PET degradation with the help of artificial intelligence) receives the aforementioned support.
Photo: Christian Hüller
The Collaborative Research Center Hyperpolarization in Molecular Systems started on October 1, 2023 and will run in the 1st funding period until June 30, 2027. The first doctoral students have already started their research. 13 scientific projects will bring extensive knowledge in the fields of magnetic resonance, spintronics and spin chemistry, supported by 4 central projects. A sophisticated network structure brings excellent synergy effects and already now the next ideas for the following projects.
The deputy spokesperson of TRR-386 HYP*MOL, Georgeta Salvan, was one of around 25 people who went on a delegation trip to Japan from 12 to 15 September 2023. With the Saxon State Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport, Martin Dulig, as the head of the group, the representatives from research, business and politics toured several Japanese innovation locations, including Tohoku University in Sendai. Salvan exchanged views on semiconductor research with their Japanese counterparts and presented new findings on spintronics. The complete report can be read under this link.
photo: Kristin Schmidt (SMWA)
On 5 September 2023, organic chemist and HYP*MOL member Prof. Tanja Gulder received the Fluorine Chemistry Publication Award at the GDCh Science Forum Chemistry (WiFo) in Leipzig. The prize for outstanding scientific work in the field of fluorine chemistry has been awarded every 2 years since 2011 by the Fluorine Chemistry Working Group of the German Chemical Society.
The original communication can be read at this link.
©GDCh/photo: Christian Augustin
Christina Lamers, Junior Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the Faculty of Medicine (Leipzig University) and project leader of the HYP*MOL peptide factory, has been awarded the international “Svar Complement Excellence Award” worth 20,000 euros. The scientist from the Institute for Drug Discovery received the prize for her research in the field of the complement system. The complement system is a part of the immune system that contributes to the elimination of cellular antigens, for example bacteria. Her work focuses on the structure-activity relationship of complement inhibitors, i.e. substances that inhibit the activity of individual components of the complement system.
Please feel welcome to read the official announcement at this link.
We are pleased to announce that HYP*MOL has been approved as a Collaborative Research Center / Transregio of the German Research Foundation and will be funded with more than 13 million Euros. From October 2023 to mid-2027, Leipzig University and Chemnitz University of Technology will host this research network of 17 subprojects with a total of 29 project leaders.
Graphic: Jacob Müller; Photos used: Jacob Müller & Christian Hüller
A new study with the participation of HYP*MOL spokespersons Georgeta Salvan and Jörg Matysik, the results of which have now been published in the journal Chemical Science, demonstrates a polaron effect in cyanobacteriochromes. It is a light-induced switching process that could be traced in detail over individual sub-process steps, also thanks to innovative sample preparation methods developed by first author Lisa Köhler. Corresponding effects are known primarily from solid-state physics, so that semiconductor physicist Georgeta Salvan played a key role in data interpretation.
Image: Jacob Müller
The Deputy Spokesperson of HYP*MOL, Georgeta Salvan became a member of the Editorial Board of Scientific Reports in April 2023. Salvan who is focusing on semiconductor physics, is now active in the journal’s condensed matter physics section.
Photo: Jacob Müller
On April 14, 2023, consortium member Tanja Gulder was admitted to the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities, which has existed since 1846. The organic chemist with a focus on biomimetic catalysis is now part of the Mathematical-Natural Sciences Class. Membership in the Academy is reserved for top researchers and offers the opportunity for interdisciplinary exchange at the highest professional level. The honour assiociated with membership is underscored by a full 12 Nobel Laureates in the list of past and present academy members. In the video at this link, Tanja Gulder presents her exciting research to the Academy.
Photo: Dirk Brzoska, Image: Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig