Dr Dorothea Golze, research group leader at the Chair of Theoretical Chemistry at the TUD Dresden University of Technology, has won the competition for European research funding and has been awarded an ERC Starting Grant worth 1.49 million euros. The prestigious award will enable the chemist to expand her research into photoinduced processes at material interfaces over the next five years and advance her six-person research group.

Material interfaces: Lasers, photovoltaics, quantum communication

In her project ‘Accurate simulations of photochemical and photophysical processes at materials interfaces (PhotoMat)’, Dr Golze is investigating the dynamics of photoinduced reactions at material interfaces. These processes refer to how interfaces respond when exposed to light (photons). High-intensity light energy - such as from a laser – can alter materials in various ways. For instance, the absorption of light can trigger photochemical reactions on a surface. Using advanced computer simulations, Golze aims to better understand these processes in order to develop new photonic devices with versatile functions.

‘Experimental techniques often reach their limits when it comes to fully understanding the underlying mechanisms of these reactions. With simulations, we can bridge these gaps and gain detailed insights that will significantly advance the field of research,’ explains Dr Golze. Her project will focus on developing new computational methods specifically designed to study the dynamics of excited states of materials. These methods will be integrated into software packages for quantum chemical calculations, optimized for execution on the world’s largest supercomputers.

From basic research to application

Golze's research presents promising starting points for a variety of applications, particularly in photochemistry and photophysics. One example is photoswitchable molecules, which, when combined with 2D materials, have the potential to remotely control device properties through light-induced reactions. Further applications could be found in quantum communication technology, where materials with long-lived exitons hold great potential.

‘The ERC Starting Grant gives me the opportunity to explore new research directions’ says Golze, who has been leading her junior research group as part of the German Research Foundation's Emmy Noether Program since June 2021.

After studying chemistry at the University of Leipzig, Golze completed her doctorate at the University of Zurich (Switzerland) in 2016. She then moved to Aalto University (Finland) as a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Prof. Patrick Rinke. Dr. Golze later assumed a group leadership position at Dresden University of Technology.

About the ERC

The ERC, set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. It funds creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based across Europe. The ERC offers four core grant schemes: Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants, Advanced Grants and Synergy Grants. With its additional Proof of Concept Grant scheme, the ERC helps grantees to bridge the gap between their pioneering research and early phases of its commercialisation. The ERC is led by an independent governing body, the Scientific Council. The overall ERC budget from 2021 to 2027 is more than €16 billion, as part of the Horizon Europe program.

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Dr Dorothea Golze
Theoretical Chemistry, Dresden University of Technology
Phone: +49 351 463-40844
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