Marie Curie Actions: Inspiring Researchers - Imdea

‘The ombudswoman is used quite frequently,’ says Dr Egelhaaf. ‘Shehas been helpful in many situations, including the easing of tensions.It’s not only about family-related problems. Many of the problemsare bureaucratic issues, which occur frequently. These are issuesthat affect both genders.’Bright prospects for tailor-made moleculesDr Egelhaaf says the experience gained in the project has helpedthe young researchers gain valuable experience which will furthertheir careers in the science of optoelectronic devices – for exampleLEDs or solar cells – using nanoscale technologies.The Nanomatch approach – exploring the advantages of hybridorganic and inorganic materials by tailoring the molecules to emitlight in specifi c ways – is unique. And the control achieved by thisapproach has opened up the way for new possibilities in devicetechnologies. The fi ndings have also deepened understanding ofelementary processes, such as energy and electron transfer inthree-dimensional molecular arrangements, and at the organicand inorganic interface, Dr Egelhaaf explains.Since the project started, the researchers have published15 joint papers and have given an impressive 30 conferencepresentations. The young researchers themselves have made15 oral and poster presentations at international conferences.Gaining experience in communicating the fruits of their labour,fi ve principal investigators and seven of the young researchersstepped on to the stage to give presentations at the EuropeanMaterials Research Society’s Spring Meeting 2008, which wasalso used as a platform to present the network as a whole to ascientifi c audience.And there is more: one commercially available product was launchedand one patent application is on the way, plus, ‘our lecture seriesAspects of Nanoscience & Nanotechnology is being considered asthe basis for a book at the end of the project’.Dr Aurélie Guenet, a French researcher participating in the projectat Germany’s University of Münster, said she gained enormousexperience from participating in the training network. She foundthe interdisciplinary approach of Nanomatch a good opportunityto broaden her knowledge in chemistry, as well as to discovernew topics in physics and physical chemistry.‘It was also a nice way of meeting people – young researchers,principal investigators and professors – from different countries,and to discuss and exchange ideas with them,’ Dr Guenet says.‘It enabled me to have a better overview of the science beingdeveloped nowadays across Europe while attending the differentworkshops organised by Nanomatch or by conferences.’174