Eindhoven University of Technology starts Institute for Complex Molecular Systems

They will be investigating the exact mechanism behind self-organization, the principle behind all life on earth. Researchers plan to use this knowledge to build molecular mini-factories that could produce the next generation of catalysts, photosynthetic systems, nanocontainers and functional materials.

Prof. Bert Meijer will head the institute. The Executive Board of the university decided last week to allocate 15 million euros to the institute over the next 10 years.

Looking to nature as a model, TU/e scientists and engineers from the fields of mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology are taking on a tremendous challenge: to force a breakthrough in research into self-assembly among molecules. This is the next step toward manufacturing complex functional systems. Given the enormous possibilities afforded by nanoscience and microtechnology, researchers should be able to regulate the interactions between molecules such that the right molecular complex is formed. It is a highly complicated system where chemical and physical phenomena on different time and length scales come together.

Variety of disciplines

A group of renowned TU/e scientists is founding ICMS to meet this challenge. Professors Bert Meijer, Rutger van Santen, Mark Peletier and Jaap Schouten come from various backgrounds and will be devoting their energy to assembling complex molecular systems. Down the line, they will be joined by other TU/e researchers and newly recruited young researchers. More specifically, they will be examining the extent to which molecular self-organization can be controlled to take on functions as new catalysts, photosynthetic systems, and nanocontainers for biomedical applications. In the process, the institute will focus on several of the well-known research strengths at TU/e, and this line of research will further strengthen the university’s international standing.

Lively discussion

The institute itself is establishing an Advanced Study Center on the topic of complexity. The center will provide a forum for leading researchers from different disciplines to ponder complex problems over an extended period of time. It is hoped that lively discussion will produce unorthodox technological solutions to challenges facing society. In fact, it is precisely at times when specialists from different backgrounds work together that breakthroughs happen. The center will also be setting up a video studio to document the world of cells and complex molecular systems in dynamic moving images, allowing a much better understanding of this complex material.

The TU/e Executive Board is investing 15 million euros in the institute over the next 10 years, which illustrates just how vital research into molecular systems is.