New Insights into Photothermal Laser Nanoprinting of ZnO
In a new Cluster publication, Doctoral Researchers Steven Kraus and Kristian Kraft, Principal Investigators Yolita M. Eggeler and Martin Wegener, and Postdoctoral Researcher Paul Somers present a novel in situ diagnostic approach for photothermal laser nanoprinting of zinc oxide (ZnO). The researchers combined a printing laser with a co-focused probe laser to directly monitor local […]
Holographic 3D Printing Turns Liquid Crystals into Shape-Changing Robot Parts
Cluster Principal Investigators Peer Fischer and Kai Melde have developed a new holographic 3D printing approach for creating complex 3D structures from liquid crystal materials. In the process, the liquid crystal molecules are first aligned along a common direction while the material remains in liquid form. A holographic light pattern is then projected into the […]
Christopher Barner-Kowollik Receives Humboldt Professorship
Cluster Principal Investigator Christopher Barner-Kowollik has been awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship 2025. The award was officially presented in Berlin on 12 May by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The Alexander von Humboldt Professorship is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space and is considered one of the most prestigious […]
Light-Driven 3D Rotation of Microscopic Objects Using Thermoviscous Flows
A new study including Cluster Postdoctoral Researcher Fan Nan, Doctoral Researcher Josephine Spiegelberg and Principal Investigators Martin Wegener and Moritz Kreysing presents a new, light-driven method for contact-free 3D rotation and spinning of microscopic objects in highly viscous environments. The researchers generated tiny helical fluid flows capable of moving, trapping, rotating, and spinning a broad […]
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 […]