2026 Polymer Chemistry Lectureship awarded to Professor Eva Blasco
Cluster PI Eva Blasco was awarded the 2026 Polymer Chemistry Lectureship by the Editorial Board of the journal Polymer Chemistry. The award honors an early-career researcher who has made a significant contribution to the polymer chemistry field. Eva Blasco earned her PhD at the University of Zaragoza and completed a Humboldt post‑doc at the Karlsruhe Institute […]
Inspiring Young Minds at Girls’ Day 2026
This year, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology brought together curious and motivated participants for an inspiring, hands-on STEM experience at Campus South and Campus North for Girls’ Day. The program featured interactive workshops on topics ranging from virtual reality in chemistry and AI applications to bioinformatics, electron microscopy, advanced 3D printing, and creative X-ray imaging. […]
How an Epilepsy Drug Influences Early Human Brain Development in Organoid Models
A new study, including Cluster Doctoral Researchers Lizia Branco and Daria Andreeva, Postdoctoral Researcher Federico Colombo, and Principal Investigators Christine Selhuber-Unkel and Simone Mayer, explores how the antiepileptic drug valproate (VPA) affects early human brain development. The researchers used stem cell–derived organoid models for their analysis. Through a combination of gene, cell, and protein analyses, […]
How AI Can Uncover New Ideas in Materials Science
A new paper, co-authored by Cluster Principal Investigators Eva Blasco, Pavel A. Levkin, Yolita M. Eggeler, and Pascal Friederich and published in Nature Machine Intelligence, explores how artificial intelligence can help identify new research directions in materials science. The team analyzed more than 200,000 scientific abstracts using large language models (LLMs) to extract key concepts […]
NeuroConnect 2026 on Brain Organoid Research
On March 26, 2026, the NeuroConnect Organoid Neurophysiology Workshop was held at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The workshop brought together over 80 researchers from the fields of neuroscience, bioengineering, medicine, and ethics. Hosted by Cluster Principal Investigators Prof. Dr. Simone Mayer and Prof. Dr. Jasmin Aghassi-Hagmann and organized in collaboration with the University […]
Winter Cluster Meeting 2026
A few weeks ago, members of our Cluster gathered in Karlsruhe for our annaul Winter Cluster Meeting, which marked the first in-person meeting of our second funding period. This event was an important opportunity to reconnect, exchange ideas, and set the tone for the years ahead. Christine Selhuber-Unkel and Martin Wegener opened the meeting with […]
Recap 3DMM2O Conference 2026
The 3DMM2O Conference 2026 brought researchers together at Schöntal Monastery for three days of discussions about the future of 3D additive manufacturing. The event focused on the intersection of theory, computation, and design in advanced 3D materials. Participants explored topics such as metamaterials, advanced fabrication techniques, machine learning, simulation, and bio-inspired systems. Through keynotes, contributed […]
Obituary
We remember Prof. em. Dr.-Ing. Hartmut Weule, a distinguished engineering scientist who uniquely bridged academia and industry. Born on October 1, 1940, he studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Braunschweig, earning his doctorate with distinction in 1972. Following his early innovations at Daimler-Benz, he became a professor at the University of Karlsruhe, where […]
KIT and Heidelberg University Retain Status as Universities of Excellence
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Heidelberg University successfully defended their status as Universities of Excellence in Germany’s Excellence Strategy. The decision, announced on March 11, 2026, confirms that both institutions will receive funding for another seven years, beginning in 2027. The Excellence Strategy aims to strengthen Germany’s position as a leading international research […]
Photoinitiator Design for Two-Step 3D Laser Nanoprinting
In this study, including Cluster Postdoctoral Researcher Aleksandra Vranic, Doctoral Researcher Jonathan L. G. Schneider, Principal Investigators Martin Wegener and Stefan Bräse, and Cluster Alumnus Pascal Rietz, a systematic investigation of new photoinitiators for two-step absorption–based 3D laser nanoprinting is presented. The authors synthesized 23 benzil-based (1,2-diketone) molecules and evaluated their solubility, printability, and required […]