Creat­ing the Future
Projects

Expanded boron-embed­ded helicenes as novel organic materials

Klaudia Szkodzinska - Hector RCD Awardee Agnieszka Nowak-Król

Helicenes are a group of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with screw-shaped structures that give rise to characteristic optical and optoelectronic properties. Both expansion of the helical structure and its enrichment with boron have been proved to enhance these properties, enabling multiple applications, for example in OLEDs and OFETs. This project focuses on the synthesis of helicenes integrating both features as potential new materials for organic electronics and fundamental studies.

Expanded boron-embedded helicenes as novel organic materials© Klaudia Szkodzinska

On the Poten­tial Impli­ca­tion of Rhodopsins in Avian Magnetosensitivity

Arno Munhoven - Hector Fellow Peter Hegemann

Earth's magnetic field guides migratory birds over vast distances. Despite decades of research, the mechanisms behind avian magnetosensitivity remain unclear. Recent studies suggest cryptochromes play a role, but proving this is challenging. Our project explores whether rhodopsins, previously overlooked, also contribute. We aim to understand these photoreceptors at a molecular level and enable behavioural experiments with transgenic birds.

On the Potential Implication of Rhodopsins in Avian Magnetosensitivity© Arno Munhoven

Evolu­tion of wound care and rescue behav­iour in army ants

Juan José Lagos-Oviedo - Hector RCD Awardee Erik T. Frank

Certain ant species exhibit wound care and rescue behaviours towards injured nestmates, thereby enhancing their survival and sustaining the colony's workforce. Despite these benefits, it remains unclear how ecological and evolutionary factors have shaped these social behaviours. By using interdisciplinary methods from behaviour and theoretical biology, we aim to elucidate the causes and consequences underlying the evolution of wound care and rescue behaviours.

 Evolution of wound care and rescue behaviour in army ants© Juan J. Lagos-Oviedo & Jeremy Squire

Cogni­tive and neural mecha­nisms under­ly­ing memory gener­al­iza­tion during wakeful­ness and sleep

Katja Kleespies - Hector RCD Awardee Monika Schönauer

The human brain has the remarkable ability to flexibly generalize knowledge from specific learning experiences to new situations. However, the mechanisms underlying such generalization processes are still not fully understood. This project aims at characterizing the cognitive and neural representations that underlie successful generalization processes and to identify factors that influence them (e.g., sleep). As such, we hope to gain a better understanding of how we make sense of the continuously changing world around us.

Cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying memory generalization during wakefulness and sleep© Katja Kleespies

Heat Actuated Elastocaloric Cooling

Yi-Ting Hsiau - Hector RCD Awardee Jingyuan Xu

Elastocaloric cooling utilizes stress-induced crystallographic phase transformation which releases or absorbs latent heat upon stress loading or removal. It is a promising next-generation solid-state cooling due to its high caloric effect. However, one of the disadvantages is the huge electric actuator required. This project aims to integrate actuators driven by low-grade heat to reach the goal of reducing driver-to-refrigerant mass ratio and zero electricity input.

Heat Actuated Elastocaloric CoolingYi-Ting Hsiau

Science Evening 2025

Scientific Host: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Katrin Amunts, Scientific Talks by Prof. Dr. Rainer Goebel, Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Lippert, Moderation: Wolfram Eilenberger

Brain, Computer and AI - Soon Hard to Distinguish?

© Christoph Niemann