Completed projects

In modern condensed matter physics topol­ogy plays a funda­men­tal role in the classi­fi­ca­tion of phases of matter. A promi­nent example is the quantum Hall effect discov­ered in two-dimen­sional electron gases under extreme condi­tions. Quantum Hall insula­tors are isolat­ing in the bulk, but exhibit conduct­ing edge states, which results in a quantised Hall conductance.

Cichlid fish are well-known for their beauti­ful colors and multi­tude of body shapes. They are found in the East African Rift lakes where they have formed so-called adaptive radia­tions, in which hundreds of new species origi­nated extremely quickly – sometimes within less than 100,000 years.

Preva­lence of myopia (short­sight­ed­ness) increases consid­er­ably in indus­tri­al­ized countries. The mecha­nisms behind this devel­op­ment need to be fully under­stood in order to arrive at preven­tion. The aim of Sandra Wagner’s research was to allow a better under­stand­ing of accom­mo­da­tion, address unanswered question regard­ing myopia onset and support the devel­op­ment of new devices.

Carbon nanotube (CNT) resonators will be designed and fabri­cated to exploit their sensing proper­ties. We will graft a single-molecule magnet (SMM) on such a CNT resonator in order to manip­u­late its spin states via the mechan­i­cal motion of the CNT. Using this nanome­chan­i­cal approach, single-molecule magnets will be inves­ti­gated with the long-term prospect of apply­ing them in future quantum technologies. 

The project inves­ti­gates compo­si­tion and function of micro­bial commu­ni­ties in Fram Strait, the major gateway between the Arctic and the Atlantic Oceans, and how these are linked with environ­men­tal condi­tions. A series of cutting-edge, molec­u­lar approaches are applied to assess micro­bial functional capac­i­ties, commu­nity compo­si­tion and their tempo­ral varia­tion in a region under special threat by climate change. The project is super­vised by Hector Fellow Antje Boetius.

This project aims to explore the use of young and old pulsat­ing variable stars to improve our current under­stand­ing of the Milky Way. This will be achieved by perform­ing a novel study of the kinemat­ics, ages and chemi­cal compo­si­tions of Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars which, in spite of being arche­types of differ­ent stellar popula­tions, repre­sent key tracers of the recent star forma­tion and assem­bly history of the Galaxy.

The European Water Frame­work Direc­tive requires that all water­bod­ies achieve a good ecolog­i­cal status until 2027. In urban environ­ments the restricted spatial condi­tions and differ­ent inter­ests cause problems in river restoration.

Visual experi­ence during a sensi­tive period is crucial for the normal devel­op­ment of the brain. Individ­u­als who are treated for congen­i­tal cataracts more than a few weeks from birth suffer from low visual acuity as well as specific deficits (such as impaired face process­ing). This project inves­ti­gates the possi­ble mecha­nisms that mediate this sensi­tive period, by non-invasively assess­ing brain struc­ture and function in congen­i­tally and devel­op­men­tally visually deprived individuals.

Repro­duc­tive isola­tion, the ceased exchange of genetic mater­ial, is crucial for the diver­gence of popula­tions into distinct species. This is commonly facil­i­tated by an extrin­sic physi­cal barrier, but rarely it can also occur devoid of such barri­ers. Whether speci­a­tion proceeds by the same or differ­ent repro­duc­tive isola­tion mecha­nisms under these two geographic scenar­ios remains a matter of debate. We aim to contribute to this funda­men­tal question in biology by taking advan­tage of a model system of speci­a­tion: the Midas cichlid fishes.

Aggres­sion can be distin­guished in a reactive form, which is a protec­tive response to an acute threat and an instru­men­tal form, which is goal directed. Appet­i­tive aggres­sion is a sub form of instru­men­tal aggres­sion, which is defined by the experi­ence of lust when perpe­trat­ing violence. So far, the latter has been only assessed through self-report. The doctoral project under super­vi­sion of Prof. Thomas Elbert intends to create an objec­tive, epige­netic marker for appet­i­tive aggression.

The efficient design of chemi­cal processes is of great impor­tance for the chemi­cal indus­try. Current research makes an essen­tial contri­bu­tion to synthe­siz­ing complex substrates inexpen­sively in as few steps as possi­ble and in high yield. This PhD project, under the direc­tion of Hector Fellow A. Stephen K. Hashmi, there­fore, deals with the mecha­nism and the function­al­iza­tion of a wide range of 1,3‑diynes with varying nucleophiles.

The devel­op­ment of catalysts to increase the chemi­cal efficiency or to find completely new chemi­cal reactions has found great inter­est. For this a wide variety of ligands are needed. The doctoral is super­vised by Hector Fellow A. Stephen K. Hashmi and aims at devel­op­ing new ligands that are based on the formal double depro­to­na­tion of 1,3‑diketones and thereby enlarg­ing the chemi­cal space of known ligands. For this new synthetic methods have to be found and the obtained ligands have to be tested and characterised.