The start of this three-day highlight event was marked by the official opening of the Research Center Chemical Sciences and Sustainability in presence of Ina Brandes MdL, Minister of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Speeches by Martin Paul (Rector Ruhr University Bochum), Minister Ina Brandes and Gabriele Sadowski (Director of the Research Center) were followed by a lively panel discussion including the external speakers Alessandro Curioni (Vice President IBM Europe and Africa, Director IBM Research Lab) and Ralph Marquardt (Senior Vice President & General Manager Innovation Networks & Transformation Germany, Evonik Operations).
Read more about the opening of the Research Center
Then, the RESOLV community started a deep dive into the latest research developments and highlights in Solvation Science: from solvent dynamics and catalysis to sustainability and applications in energy and drug delivery to quantum simulations and extraterrestrial research.
Find out more about the lecture topics (event program)
Many thanks to all participants for celebrating the start of the next era of RESOLV with us – in particular to the invited speakers for their interesting presentations and the inspiring discussions:
- Manabu Abe (University of Hiroshima, Japan)
- Huib Bakker (AMOLF, Netherlands)
- Jennifer Bergner (UC Berkeley, USA)
- Peter Chen (ETH Zurich, Switzerland)
- Wojciech Dzwolak (University of Warsaw, Poland)
- Ian Fairlamb (University of York, UK)
- Leticia Gonzalez (University of Vienna, Austria)
- Ralf Ludwig (University of Rostock, Germany)
- Robert J. McMahon (University of Wisconsin, USA)
- Andrew Orr-Ewing (University of Bristol, UK)
- Thomas Rades (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Sylvie Roke (EPFL, Switzerland)
- Cathy Royer (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA)
- Christoph Schran (University of Cambridge, UK)
- Douglas Stephan (University of Toronto, Canada)
- Lynne S. Taylor (Purdue University, USA)
- Dasan Thamattoor (Colby College, USA)
- Mark Tuckerman (New York University, USA)
- Herbert Waldmann (Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Germany)
We look forward to the coming seven years, in which we will focus on
- developing innovative approaches to replace fossil carbon by renewable sources
- electrifying chemical production with the aim of directly utilizing "green electricity" and minimizing environmental impacts in the manufacturing process
- optimizing the functionality and long-term stability of formulations for pharmaceutical active ingredients and life science products
- applying artificial intelligence and automation in chemistry
- rapidly transferring research results into industrial applications; in cooperation with Evonik, a new transfer laboratory is being established
- bundling cross-site research activities in the field of sustainable chemistry at the Ruhr Innovation Lab
During the breaks in the varied lecture program, participants had the opportunity to delve into the region's industrial past. Guided tours of a model mine and the museum provided an impression of the work involved in coal mining.
Discover the Mining Museum in Bochum
A special tribute to the retiring RESOLV members Wolfram Sander and Roland Winter concluded the event.
© Photos: RUB, Marquard & RESOLV