Wednesday, 12 December, 2012

New European School of DNA Nanotechnology

Two CeNS members are partners in new Graduate School

 

DNA nanotechnology is a rapidly growing field of research, which opens entirely new opportunities in medicine, optics and electronics. With careful design of their sequences, combinations of DNA strands can be programmed to fold into predetermined patterns that can serve as scaffolds for the assembly of customized "supermolecules" - such as defined arrangements of proteins or various kinds of nanoparticles. The new European School of Nanotechnology (EScoDNA), in which LMU and the TU München, as well as the Munich-based firm Baseclick, will participate, was founded to stimulate progress in this new field. The School's primary focus is on basic research, but it will also promote the practical application of research findings and development of their commercial potential.

EScoDNA has been designated as an Initial Training Network (ITN) within the Marie Curie Programme, and will be funded by a grant of approximately 4 million euros (of which 1.3 million will go to researchers in Munich) from the European Union. The Graduate School offers an excellent cross-disciplinary training program for aspiring young researchers, which will provide them with the skills necessary to meet the demands of the emerging field of Bionanotechnology. In total, places for 14 doctoral students and two postdocs will be available in 2013.In addition to LMU, the TU München and Aarhus University (Denmark), which will coordinate the programme, the network includes the Karolinska Institute (Sweden), Oxford University (UK) and three private companies.

The doctoral programme is open to graduates in the following disciplines: Chemistry and Biochemistry, Physics, Molecular Biology and Informatics. As the Marie Curie Programme is designed to promote international exchange, applicants should not have resided in Germany for more than 12 months during the past 3 years. The 4-year programme will begin in September 2013. The language of instruction is English. Applications may be submitted via the Center for NanoScience website (www.cens.de/careers) or directly to one of the participating research groups. The closing date for applications is January 17, 2013.

Further information: www.EScoDNA.eu