News
Profile 2010
Download the new Research Profile broschure 2010 (PDF, 4,3 MB)
The research at the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy has received top rankings not only within Germany but also at international level. The most recent independent study coordinated by the German Science Council rates the Chemistry in Erlangen as "world class". The study was written after an investigation by an international 15-member commitee of chemists.
It stated that the performance in research quality and the impact and effectiveness of research is the particular strength of the Chemistry in Erlangen (all rated with five out of five stars) . Also, the DFG fund raising capability documents top positions of Erlangen compared with other universities in Germany.
The following link provides a short summary of the main research areas at Erlangen: short summary.
There are currently two Collaborative Research Groups at the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, the SFB 473 "Mechanisms of Transcriptional Regulation" and the SFB 583 "Redox-Active Metal Complexes: Control of Reactivity via Molecular Architecture". Besides, several scientists are involved in the Cluster of Excellence "Engineering of Advanced Materials" (EAM) which is part of the Excellence Initiative of the German Federal and State Governments.
News from the Excellence Cluster Engineering of Advanced Materials
Guldi among the top 100
EAM member Prof. Dirk M. Guldi (Chair of Physical Chemistry I) is among only a few German researchers who have made it into the top 100 of the ISI Web of Knowledge database of Chemists. With an h-index of 58, Guldi was rated number 76. The h-index (or Hirsch index, named after its proposer, Jorge E. Hirsch) is used to measure how frequently a scientist is cited by other researchers. Professor Guldi's current research activities encompass the application of numerous microscopic and spectroscopic techniques to characterize chemical, physical and photocatalytic properties of novel molecular architectures. His research group pursues innovative synthetic strategies with respect to hybrid systems, quantum dots and rods and other functional nanoparticles. His expertise and contributions are especially strongly felt in the Cluster of Excellence through his work in research area B Nanoelectronic Materials.
1.4 million Euros für Graphenochem
Professor Andreas Hirsch, Chair of Organic Chemistry II and coordi nator of EAM research area B Nanoelectronic Materials, has been awarded an Advanced Investigator Grant by the European Research Council (ERC). The research project “Graphenochem-Large scale production, cloning, chemical functionalization and materials appli cation of graphene” will receive funds amounting to 1.4 million Euros over the next five years. Andreas Hirsch is the fi rst scientist at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg to receive this grant which is earmarked by the ERC for exceptional research. Advanced Investigator Grants promote pioneering and interdisciplinary research projects that transcend the boundaries between basic and applied science as well as between research and industrial development. The focus of the project Graphenochem is the chemical investigation of the preparation and derivatization of graphene, a material comprising a single atomic layer of sp2-bonded carbon atoms. This relatively new nanomaterial is reminiscent of the already wellknown carbon nanotubes in terms of its extraordinary mechanical strength and fl exibility. It also exhibits exceptional electronic conductivity, due to the quasi-massless behavior of its electrons. The decisive factors for the ERC evaluation committee were Hirsch’s outstanding scientifi c profi le and the visionary, ground-breaking nature of his proposal. A further consideration in awarding the grant was the innovative environment of the University of Erlangen- Nurem berg as well as the interdisciplinarity of the project.