UV/mid-IR Laboratory for the Analysis of Light-Induced Processes

The project aims to establish a laboratory that is unique in Germany for the isolation and photochemical characterization of (macro)molecular intermediates in complex process cascades. The scientific focus is on short-lived intermediate states as they occur, for example, during the formation of photoinduced damage in DNA and RNA or in molecular photocatalysis. The new infrastructure will make it possible to investigate these processes systematically, with temporal resolution and under controlled conditions.

The laboratory will strengthen research on light-responsive molecules at Leibniz IPHT, particularly with regard to applications in photodynamic therapy and the conversion of sunlight into chemical energy. At the same time, the project creates the structural basis for establishing a junior research group in the field of Origins of Life. The group will be led by Dr. Corinna L. Kufner and will expand the institute’s research profile by addressing fundamental questions of light-driven molecular evolution.

The project is funded by the Free State of Thuringia under grant number 2024 FGI 0025 and co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).