Prof. Dr. Wolfram Pernice, Professor at the Kirchhoff Institute for Physics at the University of Heidelberg and adjunct professor at the University of Münster, has been honoured with the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize 2025. This most important research award in Germany is a DFG program recognising scientists for outstanding scientific achievements.

More information regarding the prize can be found here!

Website of the Pernice group.

“Consolidator Grant” for Seraphine Wegner

Prof. Dr. Seraphine Wegner, from the Institute of Physiological Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry at the University of Münster, has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant by the European Research Council (ERC). The grant, totaling 2.4 million euros, will fund the five-year “Lighthouse” project, which seeks to enable biological cells to communicate using light signals.

More information on this great honour can be found here.

We are very excited to share that the CRC 1459 Intelligent Matter has been renewed for a second funding period running for four more years. More information on this can be found at the Universities newsportal.

***Please note that we have several open PhD positions starting in April 2025 in order to support this endeavor. Please refer to our website for more information on projects with available positions.***

Prof. Dr. Bart Jan Ravoo appointed as visiting professor at the University of Twente

We are proud to announce that the University of Twente has appointed Prof. Dr. Bart Jan Ravoo as visiting professor of Intelligent Soft Materials within the Department of Molecules & Materials (S&T) for a five-year term, starting on September 1st.

In conjunction with this appointment, Prof. Christian Nijhuis from the University of Twente will take on a visiting professorship at the Organic Chemistry Institute and the Center for Soft Nanoscience (SoN) at the University of Münster. This exchange of expertise fosters collaboration and strengthens ties between the two institutions, paving the way for future student exchanges and joint research endeavors including the CRC1459 Intelligent Matter.

More information can be found here.

Armido Studer receives an ERC Advanced Grant from the European Research Council.

With this funding, he wants to conduct research on radical water activation over the next five years, a field of research investigating reactions driven by hydrogen atoms from water.

More information and the University press release can be found here (in German)!

SmartMatters4You wins equal opportunity award from the University of Münster

SmartMatters4You - the programme targeted towards female high school students and a cooperation between MExLab Physik and the CRC1459 Intelligent Matter was honored with this year´s Gender Equality Award during the University of Münster New Year´s Reception.

The programme aims to increase the relative small number of female students in participating Physics and Chemistry degree programmes by providing insights into research in the field of intelligent matter and through personal contact with researchers.

More information on the programme can be found here!

Marc´s proposed work on adaptive semi-interpenetrating networks of PEDOT:PSS hydrogels and mediating eRAFT polymers for neuromorphic electronics will be funded for one year by the CRC1459 starting in January 2024. We would like to congratulate him again and wish him good luck with his research!

Visit our Research Training Group Website for more info on CRC1459 research proposals!