FOKUS
The Interdisciplinary Research Center for Cooperative Functional Systems
The purpose of the Münster FOKUS-Initiative is to foster interfaculty links and collaboration between the conventionally separated disciplines of Physics, Chemistry and Biology as a platform for the formation of new competitive research structures and networks in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology. This area making use of advanced physical, chemical and biological analysis techniques, synthetic methods, as well as mathematical modeling and theoretical interpretation of experimental results, appears most appropriate for this initiative which is based on interdisciplinary structures.
Basic research projects as well as exploratory industrial projects are integrated parts of the initiative. Beyond existing research groups at the University of Münster and the Center for Nanotechnology (CeNTech) (www.centech.de) taking part in this strategic development, three new faculty members were appointed to strengthen the initiative key areas of nanoscience:
- Nanophotonics and Nanoelectronics: Prof. Luisa De Cola (Physics & Chemistry)
http://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.PI/DeCola/ - Synthesis of Nanoscale Systems, Prof. Bart Jan Ravoo (Organic Chemistry)
http://www.uni-muenster.de/Chemie.oc/ravoo/en/index.html
These activities are complemented by Young researcher groups:
- Supramolecular Functional Materials, Dr. Pol Besenius
http://www.uni-muenster.de/Chemie.oc/en/besenius/ - 2D reactions at surfaces , Dr. Hongying Gao, (Alexander von Humboldt Stipend)
http://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.PI/Fuchs/groupmembers/groupmembers.html - Nanobiophotonics, Dr. Christiane Höppener
http://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.PI/Fuchs/nanobiophotonics/nanobiophotonics.html - Nanoscale Interface Analytics, Dr. Harry Mönig
http://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.PI/Fuchs/nanoscale_interface_analytics/nanoscale_interface_analytics.html - Photoactive Nanomaterials , Dr. Cristian A. Strassert
http://www.centech.de/index113.htm - Nanoscale Magnetism & Electronics, Dr. Daniel Wegner
http://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.PI/Wegner/
Beyond individual international contacts of the participants, the projects within the initiative are strongly interlinked with local centers (CeNTech, CeNoS), international graduate schools (http://www.uni-muenster.de/GSC-MS/site/index.html), and European networks