This project dealt with the development of a modular synthesis that allows access to a wide range of catalysts with properties tailored to the needs of the reactions to be catalyzed. The synthesis makes it possible to construct various N-heteroacyclic and N-heterocyclic carbene ligands with a wide range of electronic and steric properties directly at the metal center.
π-Extended carbazoles exhibit intriguing electronic and optical properties that make them attractive for diverse applications such as OLEDs, OFETs, and solar cells. In this project, new methods for the synthesis of these N-heterocycles will be explored and their application as organic materials will be intensively investigated.
Monomeric or particle-based multimeric subunit vaccines are widely used to induce humoral immune responses that protect from disease. However, how antigen valency and spacing affects B cell activation and antibody production is not well understood. Using a malaria vaccine antigen as model, the project combines DNA-origami-based experimental work with mathematical modeling to define how the biophysical parameters of antigen presentation and antibody affinity affect B cell activation.
A cosmic web of galaxies and diffuse gas permeates our Universe. This cosmic web glows through faint, but measurable, Lyman-alpha emission of its neutral hydrogen. This project aims to characterize said cosmic web in cosmological simulations of galaxy formation. Connecting to upcoming observational data sets, new pathways for our understanding of galaxy and structure formation emerge.
The formation of cells in our blood is sustained throughout our lifetime by hematopoietic stem cells. An understanding of the output and activity of individual stem cells, however, is only emerging. In my project, I will investigate clonal reconstitution dynamics and evaluate hematopoietic regeneration utilizing somatic mutations in the mitochondrial genome as natural barcodes in matching bone marrow and peripheral blood samples from patients undergoing allogenic stem cell transplantation.
Boron-containing polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) draw increasing interest due to their appealing optical and electronic features. They are promising candidates for applications in organic electronics, e.g. OLEDs, transistors and organic solar cells. This project is focused on the synthesis of new chiral organoboron PAHs and the investigation of the impact of their chiral geometry on the operation of such devices.
This project aims at using modulation doped organic thermoelectric modules for energy harvesting in niche areas where module flexibility is key. We will develop novel device architectures based on modulation doped organic thermoelectrics to enable innovative applications.
