Building with Molecules and Nano-objects: University of Leipzig

The Graduate School Leipzig School of Natural Sciences - Building with Molecules and Nano-objects (BuildMoNa) focuses on interdisciplinary graduate education through top-level, synergistic research. Our materials research concept is based on a "bottom-up" approach. Progressive building blocks, such as nano-objects, smart molecules, polymeric scaffolds, peptides, and active proteins, will be combined - preferentially by self-organisation - to create fundamentally new classes of materials that are inspired by active, adaptive living matter, and that are environmentally friendly, highly efficient, low-cost devices serving multifunctional purposes for a steadily more diversified modern society. The paradigm shift from uniform bulk materials towards nanostructured multifunctional materials that emerge from combinations of smart molecules, proteins, and nano-objects is essential for the future knowledge transfer from fundamental to applied sciences.

The Graduate School's main objective is "Building with Molecules and Nano-objects (BuildMoNa)". The central themes will connect interdisciplinary, fundamental research, the use and development of suitable, novel methods, and interdisciplinary graduate training.

In our research, "hard" (synthetic molecules and crystalline nanostructures) and/or "soft" (polymers, biomolecules) building blocks will be directly connected or organised to complex structures by scaffolds to reveal new building principles and to produce new, desired materials with innovative applications.

For the success of such research the development of novel methods for building and characterisation of new materials is essential.

Recognising the need for a new generation of interdisciplinary scientists the training programme aims at promoting interdisciplinary exchange in the natural sciences by high-quality education in material- and method-oriented subjects.