RESOLV kicks off its 3rd funding period (2026 to 2032)

RESOLV kicks off its 3rd funding period (2026 to 2032)

Seven exciting years ahead: We continue to spearhead new advances in Solvation Science from our leadership position as creators of the field.

WE ARE RESOLV

WE ARE RESOLV

Over 200 scientists from about 50 research groups in 6 institutions

RUHR EXPLORES SOLVATION

RUHR EXPLORES SOLVATION

We shape a new scientific discipline, inspire the scientists of tomorrow, and enable future technologies

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Science Day

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Science Day

Equity and diversity as a source of strength, fundamental to innovative ideas, and a prerequisite for excellence in science

Summer School Solvation Science

Summer School Solvation Science

We are happy to welcome young Solvation Scientists every year after Whitsun in Bochum

World Science Day

World Science Day

Building strong networks between academia and industry

ZEMOS: Home of Solvation Science @RUB

ZEMOS: Home of Solvation Science @RUB

The first research building for Solvation Science in the world

CALEDO: New Research Building for Solvation Science @TU Dortmund

CALEDO: New Research Building for Solvation Science @TU Dortmund

Center for Advanced Liquid-Phase Engineering.

WHAT is RESOLV?

The Cluster of Excellence RESOLV is an interdisciplinary research project of the Ruhr University Bochum and the TU Dortmund University, as well as four other institutions in the German Ruhr area. Since 2012, about 200 scientists cooperate to clarify how the solvent is involved in the control, mediation and regulation of chemical reactions. Our research is essential to advance technologies that could reuse CO2 for chemicals production, increase the efficiency of energy conversion and storage and develop smart sensors. Over its third funding period (2026-2032), RESOLV is supported by the German Federal Government and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with 43 Mio. Euro. 
 

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Video: THIS is RESOLV

RESOLV pioneered Solvation Science as an interdisciplinary research field. It has transformed its host universities into excellent research ecosystems and embedded researchers at all stages of their careers in an international network of scientists.

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Dance of water molecules turns fire-coloured beetles into antifreeze artists

PNAS: RUB researchers and colleagues describe new mode of action for antifreeze proteins.

 

Certain plants and animals protect themselves against temperatures below freezing with antifreeze proteins. How the larva of the beetle Dendroides Canadensis manages to withstand temperatures down to -30 degrees Celsius is reported by an international team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Martina Havenith from the Department of Physical Chemistry II at the Ruhr-Universität in the journal PNAS. Together with American colleagues, the RUB-researchers showed that interactions between the antifreeze proteins and water molecules contribute significantly to protection against the cold. Previously, it was assumed that the effect was only achieved through direct contact of the protein with ice crystals. The team obtained the results through a combination of terahertz spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations.

 

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Posted on

Dance of water molecules turns fire-coloured beetles into antifreeze artists

PNAS: RUB researchers and colleagues describe new mode of action for antifreeze proteins.

 

Certain plants and animals protect themselves against temperatures below freezing with antifreeze proteins. How the larva of the beetle Dendroides Canadensis manages to withstand temperatures down to -30 degrees Celsius is reported by an international team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Martina Havenith from the Department of Physical Chemistry II at the Ruhr-Universität in the journal PNAS. Together with American colleagues, the RUB-researchers showed that interactions between the antifreeze proteins and water molecules contribute significantly to protection against the cold. Previously, it was assumed that the effect was only achieved through direct contact of the protein with ice crystals. The team obtained the results through a combination of terahertz spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations.

 

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@SolvationSci

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Cluster of Excellence RESOLV

Our scientific fields

Research Area I

Charge and Electron Transfer

 

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Research Area II

Solvent Design for Chemical Processes

 

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Research Area III

Tuning Stability and Homogeneity

 

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Upcoming Events or browse all

Posted on

Dance of water molecules turns fire-coloured beetles into antifreeze artists

PNAS: RUB researchers and colleagues describe new mode of action for antifreeze proteins.

 

Certain plants and animals protect themselves against temperatures below freezing with antifreeze proteins. How the larva of the beetle Dendroides Canadensis manages to withstand temperatures down to -30 degrees Celsius is reported by an international team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Martina Havenith from the Department of Physical Chemistry II at the Ruhr-Universität in the journal PNAS. Together with American colleagues, the RUB-researchers showed that interactions between the antifreeze proteins and water molecules contribute significantly to protection against the cold. Previously, it was assumed that the effect was only achieved through direct contact of the protein with ice crystals. The team obtained the results through a combination of terahertz spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations.

 

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summer school Solvation Science

RESOLV hosts an annual summer school at ZEMOS, Ruhr-Universität Bochum. The school always takes place after Whitsun and is an integral part of the integrated Graduate School Solvation Science (iGSS) students' training during their doctoral studies. Scholarships for international students and PhD candidates are also available upon admission. 

International speakers, suggested by a committee of iGSS students and RESOLV postdocs, are invited to give keynote talks on their research in the field of Solvation Science. In career-boosting workshops, school participants may meet industry professionals or fine-tune their personal skills. The Advanced Laboratory Modules give the students an excellent opportunity to learn new and interesting experimental and theoretical techniques within a specific research topic of their own choice. 

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Publication highlights

W. Chen, M. Gruebele, M. Havenith, K. J. Hebel, C. Scaletti, Water-mediated Hydrogen Bonds and Local Side Chain Interactions in the Cooperative Collapse and Expansion of PNIPAM Oligomers, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A 123, e2523755123 (2026), 10.1073/pnas.2523755123

D. L. Reinhard, A. Iniutina, S. Reese, T. Shaw, C. Merten, B. List, S. M. Huber, Asymmetric Counteranion-Directed Halogen Bonding Catalysis, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 147, 8107-8112 (2025). 10.1021/jacs.4c18378

S. Ghosh, C. K. Das, S. Uddin, S. T. Stripp, V. Engelbrecht, M. Winkler, S. Leimkuhler, C. Brocks, J. Duan, L. V. Schäfer, T. Happe, Protein Dynamics Affect O2-Stability of Group B [FeFe]-Hydrogenase from Thermosediminibacter oceani, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 147, 15170-15180 (2025). 10.1021/jacs.4c18483

S. S. Nalige, P. Galonska, P. Kelich, L. Sistemich, C. Herrmann, L. Vukovic, S. Kruss, M. Havenith, Fluorescence changes in carbon nanotube sensors correlate with THz absorption of hydration, Nat. Commun. 15, 6770 (2024). 10.1038/s41467-024-50968-9

F. Novelli, K. Chen, A. Buchmann, T. Ockelmann, C. Hoberg, T. Head-Gordon, M. Havenith, The birth and evolution of solvated electrons in the water, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 120, e2216480120 (2023). 10.1073/pnas.2216480120

T. van Lingen, V. Bragoni, M. Dyga, B. Exner, L. Gooßen, D. Schick, C. Held, G. Sadowski, Carboxylation of Acetylene without Salt Waste: Green Synthesis of C4 Chemicals Enabled by a CO2-Pressure Induced Acidity Switch, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 62, e202303882 (2023). 10.1002/anie.202303882

J. F. Goebel, J. Löffler, Z. Zeng, J. Handelmann, A. Hermann, I. Rodstein, T. Gensch, V. H. Gessner, L. J. Gooßen, Computer-Driven Development of Ylide Functionalized Phosphines for Palladium-Catalyzed Hiyama Couplings, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 62, e202216160 (2023). 10.1002/anie.202216160

 

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