European Research Council Funds Three Chemists from Basel

During the next five years, Dr. Michal Juríček will study how to manipulate the spin coupling between unpaired electrons in materials assembled from molecules, in order to control the bulk magnetic and conducting properties. Juríček hopes to develop model systems where the spin coupling can be studied within a single molecule. Through a better understanding of this delicate balance of interactions, he aims to establish the principles that govern the intermolecular assembly and properties in the solid state. This will then provide a useful tool for the design of spintronic materials, where both magnetic and conducting properties can be tuned precisely to match a desired feature.

Michal Juríček studied organic chemistry at the Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia) and earned his PhD in 2011 at the Radboud University Nijmegen (The Netherlands). In 2013, he received an Ambizione Fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation. Since then, Michal Juríček has been working as an independent investigator hosted in the lab of Professor Marcel Mayor from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Basel.

Strong glue for biomedical applications

Protein-based hydrogels are commonly used as adhesives, glues and sealants in surgical settings. However, their use is severely limited by poor mechanical properties. The main goal of Professor Michael Nash’s ERC project is to develop mechanically tunable protein hydrogels using design principles that rely on a quantitative understanding of mechanical properties of individual protein domains under force. By understanding protein nanomechanics at the single-molecule level, he aims to optimize novel hydrogel formulations for fast cross-linking and strong adherence to cells and tissues.

Prof. Michael Nash earned his PhD in Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in 2010 at the University of Washington, Seattle. He continued his research as a postdoc at Ludwig Maxilian University of Munich supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Most recently he led a research group at LMU Munich supported by a Society in Science – Branco Weiss Fellowship, and at the beginning of September 2016 he – and his ERC grant – transfered to the Department of Chemistry at the University of Basel as an assistant professor with a double appointment at ETH Zurich.

Designing complex catalysts

Terpenes are biologically active molecules and pharmaceutical agents like the malaria drug artemisinin belong to the terpene family. In nature, terpenes are formed into complex structures, however, chemists are not able to mimic this process with man-made catalysts. Professor Konrad Tiefenbacher wants to find out how such complex catalysts can be designed, in particular those, that lead to the formation of ring-shaped terpene compounds. To achieve this goal, Tiefenbacher strives to develop catalysts that are able to self-assemble from smaller units and selectively produce the desired terpene product. In addition, he wants to expand the natural variety of terpenes by utilizing artificial components and synthesize novel artemisinin drug derivatives by using the newly developed catalysts.

Konrad Tiefenbacher has been an assistant professor at the Department of Chemistry since June of this year. He studied chemistry at the Vienna University of Technology and received his PhD in 2009 from the University of Vienna. After a research stay as a postdoc at the Scripps Institute in La Jolla (USA), he took up a position as a junior professor at the Technical University of Munich in 2011, from where his ERC grant will now be transfered to Basel.

ERC Starting Grants