Project description
Training in computational tools for sunlight harvesting
Photosynthesis is an essential process through which plants, algae, and certain bacteria capture sunlight and convert solar energy into chemical energy, sustaining nearly all life on Earth. Understanding the light-harvesting process at the molecular level might facilitate the development of new design principles for organic solar cells. Additionally, by controlling the downregulation of photosynthesis, novel tools and biotechnological solutions can potentially enhance crop productivity. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the PhotoCaM project will train computational scientists to address complex and interdisciplinary challenges, such as molecular-level light harvesting. The project will leverage theoretical and computational tools from biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science, integrating advanced techniques inspired by molecular dynamics simulations, quantum chemistry, theoretical spectroscopy, and machine learning into multi-scale approaches.
Objective
Photosynthesis relies on harvesting the sun light and on transforming the solar energy into chemical energy to sustain almost all life on earth. An enhanced molecular-level understanding of photosynthesis and particularly of the light-harvesting process is of key significance: Firstly, a molecular-level understanding of solar light harvesting and how plants and other organisms achieve this is important if we want to figure out the working principles of nature. From this, we can learn design principles of (organic) solar cells. Secondly, controlling the downregulation of photosynthesis is seen as a strategy for the optimization of crop productivity especially by means of novel tools and biotechnological solutions. In the Doctoral Network “Photosynthetic Antennas in a Computational Microscope” we aim at training a new generation of computational scientists which can treat complex and interdisciplinary problems such as light harvesting on a molecular level using theoretical and computational tools. The interdisciplinary nature of the problem requires a combined knowledge from biology, chemistry, physics and computer science in order to combine state-of-the-art approaches like molecular dynamics simulations, quantum chemistry, theoretical spectroscopy and machine learning into multi-scale schemes. This joint undertaking is a unique chance in research but especially also in training young scientists in interdisciplinary teamwork, method training and high-performance computing in academic as well as non-academic settings. Aim of the Doctoral Network is a detailed molecular understanding of light harvesting from the computational point of view and especially of the downregulatory mechanisms of photosynthesis present in higher plants and diatoms. While the undertaking exclusively focuses on theoretical and computational approaches, the calculation of spectroscopic properties for a direct comparison to experimental findings is of key importance.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-DN - HORIZON TMA MSCA Doctoral NetworksCoordinator
28725 Bremen
Germany