PhD Students from FAU Solar won the GSMS Winterschool 2024 Research Proposal Competition

We are pleased to announce that PhD students from FAU Solar research groups have collectively won the research project competition at the Graduate School Molecular Science (GSMS) Winterschool 2024 in Kirchberg/Tirol. The competition aimed to have interdisciplinary teams of four PhD students develop research proposals adhering to DFG guidelines and present them within a 20-minute timeframe. This year’s winning team consists of Rebecca Guldi (Jux group), Daniel Krappmann (Hirsch group), Florian Steiger (Pérez-Ojeda group), and Tobias Ullrich (Guldi group), with their project titled “From open-shell singlet diradicaloids to tetraradicaloids: Synthetic establishment of a tetraradicaloid library”. The concept behind their research proposal is to synthetically target novel organic structures, so-called tetraradicaloids, which allow the enhancement and control over the degree of tetraradical character. The realization of these molecules could lead to unprecedented electronic, optical, and magnetic properties with potential applications across various research domains. Specifically, tetraradicaloids could be utilized as materials for singlet fission in organic photovoltaics, where controlling their character is crucial for improving thermodynamic efficiency and increasing double exciton formation rates. This success underscores the spirit of FAU Solar to foster students’ ability to collaborate across disciplines effectively. Congratulations!