NEWSLETTER of the Research Academy Leipzig

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1 NEWSLETTER of the Research Academy Leipzig July 2013 EDITORIAL Dear readers, with its Research Academy that was established in 2006, the University of Leipzig develops its structured doctoral training programs as a basis for its research strategy and promotion of young scientists. The Research Academy pursues a twofold objective: At the one hand the attraction and training of excellent young scientists; on the other hand it is the aim to create a temporary learning community of internationally renowned senior researchers and highly motivated and qualified graduate students. Thereby, the Research Academy is reviving the classical idea of the Academy. In order to achieve this, the university has developed and integrated in its statutes the Leibniz Program, successor of the Centre for Advanced Studies. The Director of the Program is nominated by the Rectorate in consultation with the Research Commission for a period of 3 semesters and is during this time constant member of the Directorate of the Research Academy. Already before the official start of the Leibniz Program, not only the Leibniz Professors enriched the academic life of the Research Academy, but also other guest researchers staying for shorter periods of time helped to implement the idea of the Academy. Thus, the prospective Leibniz Professor Roe was already in Leipzig last summer term as a guest researcher and was involved with a two day course at the Kompetenzschule ELSYS about From research to publications: Lessons from psychology on surviving and building a career in science. Professor Sahr was Leibniz Professor during the last winter term and is now again guest in Leipzig where he has put into practice a science café and has lectured two courses at the Kompetenzschule ELSYS about Interacting in academia: Germany and Brazil and The conception and execution of cooperative research in the humanities & technological science. The formats that are developed in the framework of the Leibniz Program are meant to enhance as well the top level research areas of the university. The necessary communication and coordination with the classes of the Research Academy, the future top level research profiles and the International Centre will be carried out by the Director as well as by a scientific coordinator. The new field of action comprises as well the raising of third-party funding to finance events. Their success will be a benchmark for the whole Leibniz Program. Participants of the seminar Young Scholarhsip and Practice 2013 The spirit of a temporary learning community has inspired as well the seminar series Young Scholarship and Practice during the last years that is funded by the Universitas-initiative of the Hanns Martin Schleyer- and Heinz Nixdorf Foundation. This year the twelfth edition has been prepared at the Research Academy and the Kompetenzschule ELSYS and for the second time, a motivated group of doctoral candidates was involved in the conception, the invitation of lecturers and the organization of the seminar. About forty young scientists and eleven lecturers discussed the topic Epistemology and Philosophy of Science and focused on the research process itself. They asked: What do we have in common in our different research cultures and what separates us? What are the epistemological foundations of our research concepts? The seminar was divided into three parts that dealt with the process of research beginning with motivation, followed by the sources of our knowledge and the interdisciplinary character of scientific work. This character was perceptible throughout the whole seminar for the participants. In this sense, I wish you a continued fruitful academic exchange! Yours, Martin Schlegel Director of the Leibniz Program

2 News Science Café on 10 June 2013 at Café Gloria The process of the relation Space-Music- Society was at the centre of an explorative conversation with examples of music between the social geographer Prof. Dr. Wolf-Dietrich Sahr and the musicologist Prof. Dr. Helmut Loos on 10 June at Café Gloria. Young scientists as well as interested participants discussed with them the topic The Territory of Tunes between Heaven and Earth and raised the question whether the arrangement between society, music and religion changes during the centuries. Central anchor point of the discussion was the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The Science Café as a place of interdisciplinary dialogue in an unformal setting will be continued on 15 July with the current Leibniz-Professor at Leipzig university, the physicist Prof. Dr. Alois Würger (Bordeaux). GRADUATE CENTRE MATHEMATICS / COMPUTER SCIENCE AND NATURAL SCIENCES Incorporation of the Leipzig Graduate School on Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation: Mineral Dust (LGS- CAR) into the Research Academy Members of the new class LGS-CAR Tropospheric particles play an important role in many scientific fields from air quality to chemical processing of atmospheric gases and aerosols to formation of clouds and precipitation to climate change, just to mention a few. The Leipzig Graduate School on Clouds, Aerosols and Radiodation (LGS-CAR), entity of the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) and of the Leipzig University was established in the course of a Leibniz Competition (SAW-Procedure), a competitive tool for allocating research founding based on the Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation. The aim of the graduate school is to create a scientific environment for the promotion of young scientists that focuses on a better understanding of physical and chemical processes in the field of clouds, aerosols and their radiative properties. Since July 2012 there are 7 doctoral candidates in 5 different areas of work who investigate among others the polatization during the remote sensing of particles, the absorption of solar radiation, indirect effects of aerosols, the chemical surface of particles and icing. Among the first members of the graduate school there are not only German, but also Greek and Turkish doctoral candidates. The LGS-CAR has been incorporated into the Research Academy in April 2013 and cooperates with the Leipzig Institute for Metereology (LIM), the Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry (IPTC) and the Institute for Experimental Physics II (IEP-II). Continuation of the Graduate School BuildMoNa The Graduate School BuildMoNa, which was founded in 2007 within the excellence initiative, will be continued as a class of the Research Academy Leipzig. In this way, the Leipzig University follows the recommendation of the German Research Foundation. BuildMoNa currently receives financial support, among others, by the Saxon State Ministry for Science and the Arts through funding from the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Free State of Saxony. Thus, on 1 June 2013 two new young researchers groups, each of them consisting of 10 young scientists, took up their work. The work of the young researchers group Werkzeuge und Technologien für die rationale Wirkstoffentwicklung coordinated by Prof. Dr. Evamarie Hey- Hawkins (Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy) is focused on the development of novel anti-cancer agents and other (neuro-) degenerative diseases often occurring in old age. The goal is to find a comprehensive approach to new technologies and drug development including applications. The second young researchers group Funktion durch Selbstorganisation: Emergente Eigenschaften von Atom- und Molekülaggregaten is coordinated by Prof. Dr. Berthold Kersting (Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy) and focuses on nanoscale atomic or molecular ensembles. New, innovative ways will be developed to fabricate functional nanostructures with applications in biosensors, drug binding, transport, storage, release as well as in catalysis and diagnostics. Link to the press release: zv.uni-leipzig.de/service/presse/pressemeldungen.html

3 Final Workshop of the IRTG Diffusion in Porous Materials The 16th and final workshop of the International Research Training Group Diffusion in Porous Materials took place from 2nd to 4th April at the Delft University of Technology organized by the Dutch partners around Freek Kapteijn. The tutorial lectures were given by highly reputed, international speakers and focused on synthesis, modification and application of porous materials. These top-class scientists reported about new concepts and their ongoing research. The opening lecture by Douglas Ruthven (University of Maine, USA) about Adsorption Column Dynamics provided basics about technical adsorption. Valentin Valtchev (Université de Caen, France) presented in his talk the Impact of Morphology on Zeolite Properties and Javier Pérez-Ramírez (ETH Zürich, Switzerland) gave insight into the hierarchical design of zeolite catalysts. Several Dutch and German PhD students presented their current work. The scientific subject often coincided with the topic of the invited lecturers. The dinner at the historic restaurant Van der Dussen in old town Delft was the opportunity to get in individual contact with all attendees of the workshop. Profs. F. Kapteijn and J. Kärger, who initiated the IRTG nine years ago, gave a retrospect of the successful work and the fruitful time within the Dutch-German collaboration and thanked all the members in Leipzig and the Netherlands for their contributions. GRADUATE CENTRE LIFE SCIENCES Distinguished Neuroanatomy Course at the IMPRS NeuroCom A first-class neuroanatomy course was held from March Each day included a lecture series Towards a New Neuromorphology in the morning, followed by a practical hands-on session in the afternoon. Prof. Rudolf Nieuwenhuys, a very renowned and remarkable 86-year-old anatomist from the Netherlands, provided an insight into the fundamental pattern of the central nervous system of vertebrates and human, based on his spectacular recent data on the brain s development, structure, and organization. The afternoon sessions were led by three highly experienced anatomists Prof. H. Hilbig, PD Dr. S. Geyer, and Dr. D. Ott and allowed participants to put their newly acquired insights into practice by dissecting and studying formalin-fixed human brains. Prof. Nieuwenhuys and Prof. Turner Second funding period and new coordinator for the IRTG Matrixengineering In its May session the DFG granted the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) Transregio 67 and its integrated research training group (IRTG) a 2nd funding period ( ). The reviewers positively emphasized the concept of the IRTG and its work during the last four years. The IRTG has 24 doctoral students employed with the CRC and several associated members. The Transregio 67 is located at University of Leipzig and Technische Universität Dresden. Starting in July, Anett Albrecht will be the scientific coordinator of the IRTG. For her new job she will benefit from her 2nd part-time position as coordinator of the top-level research area (PbF) 3. The former IRTG coordinator, Anja Pohl, will leave the Transregio 67 and work fulltime in the CRC 1052 Obesity Mechanisms. CRC 1052: Collaboration with University of Alberta established and fellowships for students in medicine The collaborative research centre (CRC) 1052 aims at establishing a close cooperation with the University of Alberta (Canada) for investigating mechanisms of obesity. In 2013 eight undergraduate students in biochemistry stay at the University of Leipzig for a 6-weeks-internship in subprojects of the CRC. Doctoral students and scientists of the CRC are supervising them. The CRC 1052 Obesity Mechanisms provides as well fellowships for students in medicine carrying out the experimental part of their MD thesis in a subproject of the CRC. Fellowships can be awarded for up to 6 months. The amount of the fellowship is 670 per month. Applications are possible at any time. For more information please visit the website of the CRC: Amendments to the Travel Allowances Doctoral candidates who want to apply at the Graduate Centre Life Sciences for allowances for meetings, conferences and research trips have to comply from now on with the following requirements: membership in a class of the GC and the active participation with a speech or a poster as a first author. Journeys within Germany will only be funded in exceptional cases. Applications for travel allowances of 50% of the total costs (max. 800 ) can always be submitted. The application form and further information: www. zv.uni-leipzig.de/en/research/ral/graduate-centre-life-sciences/travel-allowances.html.

4 Amendments to the Publication Allowances All members of the GC Life Sciences can file an application for publication allowances. Most important requirements: publication in a peer reviewed journal and the authorship as a first author, senior author or equal rights with the first author. The GC awards a grant of 50% (max. 800 ) of the total costs. The application form and further information: ral/graduate-centre-life-sciences/publication-allowances.html. GRADUATE CENTRE HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES XI. Internationale Summer School/FUTH New Regionalisms This year s summer school of the Graduate Centre Humanities and Social Sciences will be held from 16 to 19 September 2013 for the first time in close cooperation with the Hanyang University, Seoul, and is in the series of the Flying University of Transnational Humanities (FUTH). Through this cooperation, the following prominent scientists from Asia, USA and Europe could be obtained for lectures: Naoki Sakai (Cornell University), Jie-Hyun Lim (Hanyang University), Peter Haslinger (Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe), Diana Mishkova (Centre for Advanced Study, Sofia) and Guido Franzinetti (Università del Piemonte Orientale). The contributions and sections turn toward new regionalisms. This has emerged since the end of the Cold War as a specific response to the many challenges which sovereign national states are faced with by the ongoing processes of globalization, such as the increasing international migration, cross-border impacts of climate change, new forms of financial entanglements and transnational security threats. This thematic focus invites to comparative studies since these regionalization processes do not happen simultaneously and are related to other tasks while the novelty of those regionalisms encourages diachronic studies with older historical examples. All interested PhD students and Post-Docs are cordially invited to attend the conference. More information, program and registration form can be found on the website of the Graduate Center: ~ ral / gchuman / events / summer school /. Opening of the unit RegAWa Local adaptation to global change - economic instruments to secure sustainability In April 2013, the Graduate Centre Humanities and Social Sciences was extended by another unit with an economic focus. RegAWa is a joint program of the Faculty of Economics of the Leipzig University and the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences and is funded by the European Social Fund. The research programme includes the analysis of sustainability and the choice of economic instruments in the context of global change, in particular climate change and the increasing scarcity of resources. Different effects of the sustainability debate of regional concern are considered from an economic perspective. Speaker of the unit is Prof. Robert Holländer, a total of eight PhD students are trained in this new program. IPID Flying Summer School of the Binational PhD-program The New Europe The PhD program The New Europe organizes by the 29 September to 6 October 2013 a summer school on Europe s New Macedonian Question, which will take place in Sofia, Skopje and Thessaloniki. The summer school will explore the question how the blockade of Greece over Macedonia s accession efforts can be overcome with the EU and NATO. The participants of the summer school meet in Bulgaria, Greece and Macedonia with various policy makers and analysts in the frame of discussions and interviews. The aim is to produce a recommendation paper, which will be presented to the government of Germany and the EU carriers. The summer school is conducted under the direction of Prof. Stefan Troebst (GWZO) and the support of Dr. Adamantios Skordos (University of Vienna). IMPRESSUM Editor: Contact: Professor Matthias Schwarz, Spokesperson of the Research Academy Leipzig Research Academy, Burgstraße 21, Leipzig, Telefon: , ral@uni-leipzig.de

5 Graduations from January to December 2012 Graduate Centre Mathematics/Computer Science and Natural Sciences Graduate School BuildMoNa : Lars Baumann, Christof Peter Dietrich, Srujana Dusari, René Frank, Sina Haas, Julia Haushälter, Helena Franke born Hilmer, Florian Huber, Ciprian-Ghiorghita Iacob, Chinmay Khare, Alexander Lajn, Martin Lange, Jörg Lincke, Martyna Madalska, Benno Meier, Monika Möddel, Alexander Müller, Souvik Pandey, Ksenia Jolanta Surudo (Ramus), Daniel Rathmann, Klara Rusevova, Jens Schneider, Jan Zippel; IMPRS Mathematics in the Sciences : Danijela Horak, Ilona Kosiuk born Gucwa, Stephan Kühn, Shiping Liu, Guido Montúfar Cuartas, Max Nitsche, Andre Schlichting, Tat Dat Tran; IPP Interdisciplinary Research at the Frontiers of Chemistry : Marius Bill, Thomas Eckert, Ioana Georgeta Grosu, Ivana Jevtoviky, Thomas Kreisig, Johannes Kunig, Matthias Löffler (Galinsky), Marcel Schulze, Toni Todorovski; IRTG Diffusion in porous materials : Markus Wehring. Graduate Centre Life Sciences RTG Function of Attention in Cognition : Frauke Görges, Christian Keitel, Cliodhna Quigley, Johanna Rimmele, Philipp Ruhnau; igk Matrixengineering : Kristina Ambrosch; igk Protein Science : Conny Blumert, Maria Findeisen, Stephan Schultz, Stephan Theisgen; IMPRS Human Origins : Hernàn Burbano, Sarah Freidline, Tomislav Maricic, Viktoria Oelze, Irina Pugach, Sven- Holger Puppel, Domingo Carlos Salazar Garcia, Sahra Talamo, Nicolas Zwyns; IMPRS NeuroCom : Franziska Knolle born Grimm; RTG Interneuro : Annett Bräsigk, Anett Karl, Marcello Sestu, Franziska Wilhelm, Ulrike Winkler; MD/ PhD-Program of the University: Markus Morawski; IPP From Signal Processing to Behaviour : Frauke Berger, Sasa Iovanovic. Graduate Centre Humanities and Social Sciences RTG Critical Junctures of Globalization : Antje Dietze, Alexander Freier, Adèle Garnier, Birgit Kuch, Cornelia Reiher, Helen Rupp, Sarah-Ruth Sippel; Cultural Exchange : Anne Kuhnert, Tobias Marx, Christine Taube; IPP Transnationalization und Regionalization : Valeska Bopp-Filimonov, Ana Belén García Timón, Thomas Klemm, Mandy Kretzschmar, Katja Naumann, Ulrike Purrer Guardado; IPID The New Europe : Jan Zofka. Congratulations and all the best for your future! Become a member of the Alumni-Network of the University of Leipzig! Further information and registration: