Student research makes an important contribution to science and society. For it to have an impact, it must be visible, understandable and connectable . This is exactly where the Student Research Exposition 2026 comes in. Under the motto "Science on Stage", the spotlight is on student research at TU Dresden.

On May 7, 2026, students have the opportunity to present their research either as a short 2-minute pitch with a poster session or as a creative science slam followed by a discussion with the audience. 

Are you a student at TU Dresden and want to showcase your research project on stage?Then apply now for StuFoExpo 2026 by March 27, 2026 for the StuFoExpo 2026!

The event itself will be held in German, but English contributions are very welcome, as well!

In preparation for the StuFoExpo, a workshop will be offered where participants will learn how to present their contribution creatively, confidently, and tailored to their target audience.

All information on how to apply and how to attend as an audience member can be found on the  StuFoExpo 2026 website.

Multicellularity is one of the most profound phenomena in biology, and relies on the ability of a single cell to reorganize itself into a complex organism. It underpins the diversity in the animal kingdom, from insects to frogs, to humans. But how do cells establish and maintain their individuality with such precision? A team led by Jan Brugués at the Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life (PoL) at Dresden University of Technology has uncovered fundamental mechanisms that shed light on this question. The findings, now published in the scientific journal Nature, reveal how cells establish physical boundaries through an inherently unstable process, and how different species have evolved distinct strategies to circumvent this process.

During early development, embryos divide rapidly and with remarkable precision, while reorganizing into many individual units. This requires the cell material (known as cytoplasm) to be partitioned into compartments in a highly orchestrated manner. Researchers in the Brugués group at Physics of Life recently highlighted a new mechanism of cell division in zebrafish, where changes in material properties of the cytoplasm work together with the cytoskeleton to aid division during early development. These early divisions take place over several cell cycles instead of just one, which raises a key question: how does the cytoplasm organize itself so robustly before cell division, without physical boundaries like the cell membrane?

Central to this process are microtubules: filament-like structures that are part of the cell’s internal skeleton. Microtubules assemble into star-shaped formations known as asters, which spread throughout the cell interior to help partition the cytoplasm. Although the process of cytoplasmic partitioning was first described over a century ago, the mechanisms behind compartment formation and their behavior have remained poorly understood. To explore this further, the researchers turned to cytoplasmic extracts from the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis), which allow key events during development, like the cell cycle or compartment formation, to be studied. These frog egg extracts can spontaneously organize their cytoplasm into compartments that divide over several cell cycles, even when cell membranes are absent. This already suggested that cytoplasmic partitioning was an essential process happening independently of cell division.

Cytoplasmic compartmentalization was inherently unstable in large vertebrate embryos

By combining experiments in the frog extracts with living embryos and theoretical modeling, the researchers discovered that the process of cytoplasmic compartmentalization was inherently unstable in large vertebrate embryos. Microtubule asters didn’t just grow independently; they interacted and sometimes invaded each other, resulting in their fusion instead of remaining separate. “From a physical point of view, this instability should be disrupting embryonic organization,” according to Jan Brugués, the co-corresponding author of the study. “Yet development still proceeds with impressive robustness, meaning embryos must have developed distinct strategies to overcome this instability.”

Timing of cell divisions was precisely matched with the timescale of instability

To explore strategies of stabilizing cytoplasmic partitioning, the authors compared different species. For example, they utilized zebrafish and fruit flies, which share similarly sized embryos, but have different aster structures. Scientists observed that for large asters, such as those from frog extract and zebrafish embryos, the timing of cell divisions was precisely matched with the timescale of instability. Divisions happened quickly enough that asters could spread throughout the embryo without fusing and losing organization. “This close match highlights how highly optimized the cellular machinery is to operate under the extreme conditions of large embryo size and a rapid cell cycle”, said Melissa Rinaldin, first and co-corresponding author of the paper now published in Nature.

Small changes in a physical parameter could explain differences in the development of embryos in varying species

In contrast, species such as the fruit fly possess a reduced rate at which new microtubule asters are built. This results in smaller, more stable asters that gradually fill the cytoplasm over multiple cell divisions. “Our work suggests that even small changes in a physical parameter, like microtubule nucleation or growth, could explain differences in the development of embryos in varying species,” said Jan Brugués. These major changes in the cell architecture all stemmed from small changes in aster structure, due to the differences in the underlying microtubule behavior. These findings suggest that regulation of microtubule nucleation may have acted as an evolutionary ‘dial’, allowing embryos to explore different solutions to patterning in early development, which were key in building multicellular organization.

Findings open new doors to understanding embryonic growth

By identifying simple physical rules that govern cytoplasmic organization, the study provides a new framework for understanding how the first embryonic patterns emerge across the tree of life. With this tightly regulated relationship between physical instability and the cell cycle in different species, this suggests a potentially universal strategy for efficient spatial organization in living systems. These findings open new doors to understanding embryonic growth, with broader implications in evolutionary biology, and human health and disease. Changes in microtubule dynamics that are responsible for self-organization in the cytoplasm could be key in the formation of healthy tissues in the body, and even apply in diseases such as cancer.

Original publication: Melissa Rinaldin, Alison Kickuth, Adam Lamson, Benjamin Dalton, Yitong Xu, Pavel Mejstřík, Stefano Di Talia, Jan Brugués. Robust cytoplasmic partitioning by solving an intrinsic cytoskeletal instability. Nature (2026).
DOI: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10023-z

Funding: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany’s Excellence Strategy – EXC-2068– 390729961- Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life of TU Dresden, Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP), European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), European Research Council (ERC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA.

About the Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life

Physics of Life (PoL) is one of five Clusters of Excellence at TU Dresden. PoL’s aim is to identify the physical laws underlying the organization of life in molecules, cells, and tissues. Scientists from physics, biology, and computer science come together to investigate how active matter in cells and tissues organizes itself into given structures and gives rise to life. PoL is funded by the DFG within the framework of the Excellence Strategy. It is a cooperation between scientists of the TU Dresden and research institutions of the DRESDEN-concept network, such as the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI-PKS), the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research (IPF) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/


Media Contact:
Ryan Henne
Science Communication Officer
Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life
Tel.: +49 351 463-41517
pr.pol@tu-dresden.de

Marked by a new focus on dynamics and a distinctive quantum vibe, the Würzburg–Dresden Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat — Complexity, Topology and Dynamics in Quantum Matter — is entering the second funding period of the German Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments. The new “d” in its name stands for the dynamics of quantum systems, a key topic in modern solid-state physics and a new research focus at ctd.qmat. A deeper understanding of quantum dynamics will enable novel quantum phenomena to be harnessed for applications in green energy, quantum computing, and advanced sensing. The rebranding is accompanied by a quantum soundtrack by loop artist Konrad Kuechenmeister.

New Dynamics in Quantum Systems
Alongside complexity and topology, the dynamics of quantum systems now form the third pillar of research at ctd.qmat and will shape all areas of its work. “Quantum dynamics is the key to understanding the phenomena discovered during the first funding period at a deeper level, controlling them, and ultimately enabling technological applications,” says Matthias Vojta, Professor of Theoretical Solid-State Physics at TU Dresden and ctd.qmat’s Dresden spokesperson. “In the second funding period, which runs until 2032, we look forward to pursuing even more compelling physics while placing greater emphasis on the practical concepts emerging from our fundamental research.”

Controlling Quantum Processes in Real Time
How do quantum systems change over time, particularly when driven by time-dependent external impulses such as electric currents, magnetic fields, or pressure? Questions like these are moving to the forefront of ctd.qmat’s research agenda. “Many applications in information processing, sensing, and energy transformation rely on extremely fast switching and control processes,” explains Ralph Claessen, Professor of Experimental Physics IV at JMU Würzburg and Würzburg spokesperson for the cluster. “In the second funding period, we’ll be developing theoretical frameworks for complex dynamics in topological quantum materials and exploring phenomena that only emerge under dynamic control.” To enable the real-time measurement and control of ultrafast processes, ctd.qmat’s experimental infrastructure will be further expanded. The overarching aim is to develop quantum materials that function at room temperature and open up new possibilities for green energy technologies, energy-efficient electronics, high-precision sensors, and robust quantum bits.

Promising Research Approaches
One particularly promising line of research is topological catalysis. In this field, ctd.qmat researchers are investigating how topological quantum materials can be used to make electrochemical processes more economical — for example in carbon dioxide conversion or the production of green hydrogen. Initial results suggest that catalytic activity can be selectively switched on and off as required by the targeted control of topological properties.

Moreover, ctd.qmat is exploring new forms of topological superconductivity that could enable long-lived quantum states and more stable qubits. Another important area is quantum sensing, where researchers are developing ultra-sensitive measurement techniques based on individual spins.

Expansion of Research and Infrastructure
By establishing its new Area C, Synthetic Quantum Matter, ctd.qmat is extending its previous research focus on photonics to include artificial platforms on which quantum phenomena can be generated, enhanced, and precisely controlled — including effects that don’t occur in natural materials. In addition, six new professorships are planned (three each in Würzburg and Dresden), including several appointments in the field of quantum dynamics. In Dresden, a new quantum research center featuring state-of-the-art laboratory facilities is scheduled to open in 2029 in conjunction with the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (IFW Dresden).

What Does the Future Sound Like? Rebranding Video with Quantum Vibes

Dresden-based loop artist Konrad Kuechenmeister has captured the sounds of topological materials research in Würzburg and Dresden and turned them into a distinctive soundtrack — handcrafted loop music infused with quantum vibes. The result can be heard in ctd.qmat’s rebranding video, released to mark the launch of the cluster’s new name.

Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and performer Konrad Kuechenmeister uses a looper to create rhythmic patterns and layered soundscapes. This effects unit allows musical sequences to be recorded and replayed in continuous loops.

Listen to our quantum sound: https://youtu.be/vTCgSWlDrK8

ctd.qmat
The Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat – Complexity, Topology and Dynamics in Quantum Matter — at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg and Technische Universität Dresden explores and develops novel quantum materials with tailored properties. Around 300 researchers from over 30 countries work at the interface of physics, chemistry, and materials science to lay the foundations for tomorrow’s technologies. In 2026, the cluster entered the second funding period of the German Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments — with an expanded focus on the dynamics of quantum processes.

Media Contact
Katja Lesser
Press Officer & Head of Communications
Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat
Tel: +49 351 463 33496
Email: katja.lesser@tu-dresden.de 

Digital luminescence for electron beams and more sustainable photovoltaics from crystalline semiconductors

The European Research Council (ERC) is funding proof-of-concept studies by two researchers at Dresden University of Technology (TUD). Prof. Sebastian Reineke, Professor of Organic Semiconductors, and Prof. Yana Vaynzof, Chair of Emerging Electronic Technologies and spokesperson for the new Cluster of Excellence Responsible Electronics in the Climate Change Era (REC²), are two of 136 scientists in Europe who have been selected for a renowned proof of concept grant. This comes with €150,000 in funding that can be used to explore the commercial or social potential of research results.

ERC Proof of Concept E-RADOS: ‘Digital luminescence for thin-film electron radiation dosimetry’

Electron beams are used in many industrial and scientific applications, e.g. in cancer therapy, vaccine development, sterilisation, but also for energy-saving ink curing and the recycling of plastic. Until now, however, it has been almost impossible to determine how many electrons are actually entering the material. This is where the ERC Proof of Concept project ‘Digital luminescence for thin-film electron radiation dosimetry (E-RADOS)’ by Sebastian Reineke, Professor of Organic Semiconductors at TU Dresden, comes in. With his LEXOS working group, he aims to further develop the principle of digital luminescence in order to demonstrate the interaction of electrons with organic semiconductors as a new sensor principle and prepare it for later commercial use.

“With our technology, we have already successfully commercialised a sensor technology for UV radiation through the start-up PRUUVE GmbH. With E-RADOS, we want to validate whether this technology can also be reliably used for electron beam measurement,” says Reineke.

ERC Proof of Concept SpeedUp: “High-Speed Vapour Deposition of Metal Halide Perovskites for Scalable Applications”

The development of sustainable renewable energy technologies is crucial given the increasing global energy demand. Yana Vaynzof, Chair of Emerging Electronics at TUD Dresden University of Technology, Director at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW) and speaker of the new Cluster of Excellence REC², is working on emerging photovoltaic technologies based on metal halide perovskites, that are promising crystalline semiconductor materials. Her team focuses in particular on the key challenges that prevent the industrialization of this new material system. The Proof-of-Concept Grant by the European Research Council (ERC) for the project ‘High-Speed Vapour Deposition of Metal Halide Perovskites for Scalable Applications (SpeedUp)’ will enable her to develop new methods for rapid deposition of metal halide perovskites that are necessary to accelerate their integration into industrial optoelectronic applications, such as photovoltaics.
"Our proof-of-principle investigations revealed that high-quality perovskite layers can be deposited by electron-beam deposition at impressive rates of ~100 nm/min. These preliminary results suggest that, with further investigation, electron-beam deposition of metal halide perovskites has strong potential to achieve the required rates for industrial applications. This method could make perovskite solar cell manufacturing significantly faster and more cost-effective, thus accelerating their large-scale industrialization," explains Vaynzof.

ERC Proof-of-Concept Grants (POC)
The Proof of Concept (PoC) Grant is a funding line of the European Research Council (ERC) that can be awarded in addition to the main funding lines (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced and Synergy Grant). It is aimed exclusively at researchers who already hold an ERC grant and now wish to explore the commercial or societal potential of their pioneering research projects. PoC grants are endowed with 150,000 euros for a maximum of 18 months.

Contact:
Prof. Sebastian Reineke
TU Dresden
Tel. +49-351-463-38686
email: sebastian.reineke@tu-dresden.de

Prof. Yana Vaynzof
TU Dresden
Email: yana.vaynzof@tu-dresden.de
Tel. +49-351-463-42132

On January 15, 2026, Prof. Roswitha Böhm, Vice-Rector for University Culture and Internationalization, and Prof. Angela Rösen-Wolff, Vice-Rector for Research and Technology Transfer, welcomed a high-level delegation, led by Secretary S. Krishnan from the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) at TUD Dresden University of Technology. Representatives from the German Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation (BMDS), Embassy of India, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism (SMWK) also took part. On TUD‘s side, the vice-rectors were accompanied by Prof. Andreas Pinkwart (TUD|excite), Prof. Karl Leo (Chair of Optoelectronics), Prof. Thomas Mikolajick (Chair of Nanoelectronics), and Prof. Christian Georg Mayr (Chair of Highly Parallel VLSI Systems and Neuro-Microelectronics), among others. The visit came immediately after Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to India this week.

Prof. Ursula Staudinger, Rector of TUD, emphasized: “The visit of the MeitY Secretary–led delegation to TU Dresden, following the German Chancellor’s recent visit to India, underscores the strategic importance of our university as a trusted partner in international science and technology cooperation. Our collaboration with India goes beyond an academic partnership—it reflects a shared commitment to shaping a sustainable, technology-driven future. Through our transCampus partnership with IIT Madras, we unite research excellence, exceptional talent, and responsible innovation to tackle global challenges across borders.”

Prof. Roswitha Böhm remarked: “The visit underscores the critical role of global academic partnerships in shaping the digital future. By connecting disciplines and regions, we foster scientific excellence, societal impact, and the further development of our transCampus partnership with IIT Madras.”

Prof. Angela Rösen-Wolff added: “This high-level exchange with MeitY and Germany’s digital policy stakeholders provides vital momentum for collaborative research in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and smart systems. Such partnerships are essential to strengthening technological sovereignty and addressing global challenges.”

The bilateral exchange aimed to discuss the expansion of cooperation, particularly in the areas of semiconductors, AI, electronics, IT, start-ups and innovation-driven entrepreneurship. This renewed meeting of high-level Indian partners at TUD coupled with leading Indo-German start-up initiatives testifies to the close partnership with India and underscores TUD's important role as a driving force for research-driven innovation and talent pipelines in cooperation with India.

Background: Close partnership between TUD and India

Every year, hundreds of young people from India begin their studies at TUD – Indian students make up the largest group of non-EU students at TUD. As a point of contact for these talented individuals and strengthening collaborations in science, teaching and entrepreneurship between Saxony and India, TUD opened a Scientific Liaison Office in Chennai on behalf of the Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism in 2024.

Also in 2024, TUD and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), one of the top-ranked universities in India, have formalized a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to establish the "transCampus" partnership. It aims to create a framework to support interdisciplinary research, joint faculty, PhD students and Research Groups as well as dual-degree programs in Microelectronics and AI, Metabolic Diseases, Sustainability and Transport Science, and Entrepreneurship.

Contact
Dr. Avinash Chekuru
International Office
TUD Dresden University of Technology
Tel.: +49 351 463-36121
avinash.chekuru@tu-dresden.de

Solid-state physicist Aparajita Singha, a leading expert in ultra‑sensitive magnetometry, is pushing the limits of how we detect magnetic fields at the smallest scales. By exploiting atomic defects in diamonds — “NV centers” — she is able to pick up magnetic signatures far too faint for conventional instruments. Singha’s research lays crucial groundwork for future quantum technologies. She has now assumed her professorship in Nanoscale Quantum Materials at the Würzburg–Dresden Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat — Complexity, Topology and Dynamics in Quantum Matter — and is based at TU Dresden.

Measuring the World’s Smallest Magnet
At the atomic scale, electron spins act like tiny bar magnets whose orientation — up or down — carries information. Traditional semiconductor technologies only process binary information, 0 and 1. By contrast, quantum bits have tremendous quantum power because a spin can exist in a superposition of both states simultaneously. The result is an exponential leap in computational performance — a revolution eagerly pursued worldwide by research laboratories and increasingly by industry.

An expert in magnetometry, Singha measures the magnetic moment of individual atoms using a magnetometer equipped with a diamond‑based quantum sensor. “To read out the information encoded in a spin, you first need to measure it,” she says. “My fascination with quantum sensors began when I wondered whether I could measure the smallest magnet in the world.” That was five years ago, when Singha moved from South Korea to Stuttgart. She has now taken up the chair of Nanoscale Quantum Materials within the Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat and has big plans at Technische Universität Dresden: “Over the next five years, my team aims to measure the smallest magnet in the world — at room temperature. No one has done that yet.”

Diamonds Make It Possible
At the heart of Singha’s method is a diamond used as a precision quantum sensor. “No diamond is perfect,” she notes. “Natural stones sparkle because of imperfections in their crystal structure. We harness those imperfections and turn them into a powerful tool.“ In the lab, two atomic defects are deliberately engineered into a synthetic diamond. Two carbon atoms are removed from the lattice, then one vacancy is filled with a nitrogen atom while the other is left empty. Together they form an NV center (nitrogen-vacancy center) that responds to tiny magnetic fields. “The light our diamond emits tells us how strong the magnetic moments of our quantum material are,” Singha explains.

The Holy Grail — Sensing at Room Temperature
For now, detecting the magnetic moment of a single atom still requires extremely low temperatures. Singha expects that to change — she is determined to perform such measurements at room temperature. Achieving this requires refining both the diamond surface (the sensor) and the surrounding experimental environment. “When it comes to the quality of the surface, everything has to be ultra‑clean — as clean as space,” she says. “Only in an ultra‑high vacuum are these amounts of control feasible.”

While quantum materials are typically studied under extreme conditions — near‑absolute‑zero temperatures, intense magnetic fields, and extreme pressures — Singha’s approach is the only technology that currently promises operation at room temperature. “Today we can detect individual atomic spins at 4 K (–269.15°C), and around a hundred spins at room temperature. Our goal is true single‑spin sensitivity under ambient conditions — and that drives our development of new diamond sensors.”

NV Centers — A Global Trend
Being able to observe single spins is vital to both fundamental research and emerging technologies. NV centers are therefore gaining global traction as quantum‑grade sensors. “This worldwide momentum is clearly visible in Saxony. Nearly all regional quantum startups — including several in the new SAX‑QT network — rely on defects in diamonds,” says Matthias Vojta, Dresden spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat. “Recruiting a leading expert in this field is a major gain for our research alliance with Würzburg and a boost to the local quantum ecosystem.”

A New Quantum Professorship for Dresden
Singha studied physics in Kolkata and Mumbai before earning her doctorate in Switzerland. Postdoctoral research led her from Switzerland to South Korea. In 2020, she moved to the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, where she initiated her work with NV centers. Since 2022, she has headed an Emmy Noether independent junior research group on quantum sensing. She formally assumed her ctd.qmat professorship in Dresden on January 1, 2025. This strengthens Dresden's quantum research, which is closely linked to JMU Würzburg (Julius-Maximilians-Universität) through the Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat. Her team — two postdocs, six doctoral researchers, and a technical specialist — shares a bold objective: to measure the smallest magnet in the world using diamonds and at room temperature.

ctd.qmat
The Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat — Complexity, Topology and Dynamics in Quantum Matter — at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg and Technische Universität Dresden explores and develops novel quantum materials with tailored properties. Around 300 researchers from over 30 countries work at the interface of physics, chemistry, and materials science to lay the foundations for tomorrow’s technologies. In 2026, the cluster entered the second funding period of the German Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments — with an expanded focus on the dynamics of quantum processes.

Contact
Prof. Aparajita Singha
Exzellenzcluster ctd.qmat
Institut für Festkörper- und Materialphysik
TU Dresden
Tel: +49 351 463 42643
Email: aparajita.singha@tu-dresden.de

Katja Lesser
Press Officer & Head of Communications
Exzellenzcluster ctd.qmat
Tel: +49 351 463 33496
Email: katja.lesser@tu-dresden.de 

On January 15, 2026, Prof. Dr. Hagen B. Huttner, Professor of Neurology at the Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine, will give his university-wide inaugural lecture on "Studying adult neurogenesis in humans: insights from 14C-radiocarbondating and 15N-thymidine methodology".

Prof. Huttner took over as Head of the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden in February 2025. His clinical and scientific focus is on the care of stroke patients and research into neuroregeneration and the formation of new nerve cells. His research methods suggest that nerve cell formation exists in the healthy and diseased central nervous system. He thus challenges the long-held dogma that there is no neuronal regeneration in the adult human brain.

The lecture and the subsequent discussion will be held in English.
Afterwards, the get-together offers an opportunity to get to know each other.

Details and registration

About the university-wide inaugural lecture

New appointees with outstanding research work and international appeal decide to move to TU Dresden. The academic focus of the new professors is interdisciplinary.

Internationally visible new appointees in strategically relevant research areas make a decisive contribution to the development of the university. TU Dresden thus welcomes enthusiastic people who further increase the attractiveness of Dresden as a science location and whose numerous activities connect TUD and DRESDEN-concept partners.

The university-wide inaugural lectures are organized in consultation with the appointing faculties and associated institutions. Further information can be found in the internal web area (login).

Cell division is an essential process for all life on earth, yet the exact mechanisms by which cells divide during early embryonic development have remained elusive – particularly for egg-laying species. Scientists from the Brugués group at the Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life (PoL) at Dresden University of Technology have revealed a novel mechanism that explains how early embryonic cells may divide without forming a complete contractile ring, traditionally seen as essential for this process. The findings, published in Nature, challenge the long-standing textbook view of cell division, revealing how parts of the cytoskeleton, and material properties of the cell interior (or cytoplasm) cooperate to drive division through a ‘ratchet’ mechanism.    

In most species, cells divide by forming a contractile ring from a structural protein known as actin at the cell equator. This ring contracts like a purse-string, pinching the cell’s contents to result in two new cells. Although the ‘purse-string’ model of cell division is observed in many organisms, this is not the case for species with very large embryonic cells such as sharks, platypus, birds and reptiles. In these cases, the actin ring cannot fully close due to the cell’s immense size and large yolk sac. How exactly cell division takes place in these organisms remained an open question in the field, until now. “With such a large yolk in the embryonic cell, there is a geometric constraint. How does a contractile band, with loose ends, remain stable and generate enough force to divide these huge cells?” asked Alison Kickuth, a recently graduated PhD student from the Brugués group at the Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life (PoL) and lead author of the study. Their experiments, published in a seminal new study in Nature, have found an answer to this question.

The scientists studied zebrafish embryos, which divide rapidly and share the characteristic of having large, yolk-filled cells during early development. By precisely cutting the actin band with a laser, Alison observed that the band continued to ingress despite being severed, suggesting that anchoring points were distributed along the band, rather than at the ends. In addition, it seemed that microtubules, another essential part of the cytoskeleton, appeared to bend and splay in response to the laser cuts, and had a critical role in stabilizing the band during contraction. To clarify the role of microtubules in this process, the authors disrupted them in two separate experiments: by chemically inducing depolymerization (effectively stopping new microtubules from forming), and by physically disrupting them using an obstacle, in the form of a microscopic oil droplet. Without microtubules, the actin band collapsed, proving that microtubules are essential for holding the band in place, and provided both mechanical support and signalling during its formation.

Dynamic changes in stiffening and fluidization play key role in division process

Changes in the cytoskeleton are known to happen in other species as cell cycles progress. Importantly, the cell cycle is separated into distinct phases of activity; a mitotic phase (M-phase) where the DNA is divided, and an interphase, where a typical cell grows and replicates its DNA. After DNA has been divided, large structures made of microtubules called asters grow to span the entire cytoplasm. These asters are essential during interphase for deciding where the actin band will form and start contracting, marking the future cleavage plane. Given that microtubules are known to stiffen the cytoplasm in various cellular contexts, the authors sought to explore if asters would contribute to stiffening to help anchor the actin band. To investigate, the authors employed magnetic beads and observed their displacement under magnetic forces. These experiments allowed the scientists to measure changes in cytoplasmic stiffness during cell cycle stages. They found that the cytoplasm becomes stiffer during interphase, acting as a scaffold to stabilize the actin band. In turn, it becomes more fluid during M-phase, allowing the band’s ingression between the two future cells. These dynamic changes in stiffening and fluidization play a key role in the division process.

"Mechanical ratchet" drives cell division without the need of a fully-formed contractile ring

Only one question remained: How did the band remain stable throughout M-phase despite the cytoplasm becoming more fluid-like? By imaging the ends of the actin band over time, the team observed that although the band is unstable during M-phase while contracting, it did not collapse fully. Instead, this retraction is “rescued” due to the fast cell cycles in these early stages. In the following interphase when the cytoplasm stiffens again due to the asters reappearing, the band becomes re-stabilized. Then, the actin band continued ingressing during the next fluid-phase. These cycles of instability during M-phase and stabilization during interphase repeated over several cell cycles until division was complete. This alternating pattern acts like a ‘mechanical ratchet’, driving cell division without needing a fully-formed contractile ring. In this case, division is possible through the alternating material properties of the cytoplasm, and takes place over multiple cell cycles instead of just one.

Novel paradigm for understanding cell division in large embryonic cells

“The temporal ratchet mechanism fundamentally alters our view of how cytokinesis works”, emphasized Jan Brugués, corresponding author of the study. This finding provided an effective solution for early cell divisions in cells that were too large for conventional cell division, and have rapid cell cycles. “Zebrafish are a fascinating case, as cytoplasmic division in their embryonic cells is inherently unstable. To overcome this instability, their cells divide rapidly, allowing ingression of the band over several cell cycles by alternating between stability and fluidisation until division is complete” highlighted Alison regarding this finding. This discovery represents a novel paradigm for understanding cell division in large embryonic cells and may apply broadly across species with yolk-rich embryos. Additionally, this study highlights temporal control of material properties in the cytoplasm as an important contributor to cellular processes, a role that may be expanded in future studies. Understanding these mechanisms will open new perspectives for studying development in different species.

Original publication: Alison Kickuth, Urša Uršič, Michael F. Staddon, Jan Brugués. A mechanical ratchet drives unilateral cytokinesis. Nature (2026). DOI: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09915-x

Funding: This study was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany’s Excellence Strategy – EXC-2068–390729961- Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life of TU Dresden. Researchers were also supported by Volkswagen ‘Life’ grant number 96827.

About the Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life

Physics of Life (PoL) is one of five Clusters of Excellence at TU Dresden. PoL’s aim is to identify the physical laws underlying the organization of life in molecules, cells, and tissues. Scientists from physics, biology, and computer science come together to investigate how active matter in cells and tissues organizes itself into given structures and gives rise to life. PoL is funded by the DFG within the framework of the Excellence Strategy. It is a cooperation between scientists of the TU Dresden and research institutions of the DRESDEN-concept network, such as the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI-PKS), the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research (IPF) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR).
https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/


Media Contact:
Ryan Henne
Science Communication Officer
Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life
+49 351 463-41517
pr.pol@tu-dresden.de

The seven-year funding phase for the five clusters of excellence at TUD began on January 1. Last year, TUD not only defended its three established clusters of excellence, CeTI, ctd.qmat (formerly ct.qmat), and PoL, but also successfully acquired two more: CARE and REC².This makes it one of the five most successful universities nationwide in this funding line of the Excellence Strategy and also the strongest technical university.

All projects contribute to expanding knowledge in frontier areas of research, all seek solutions to major global challenges, and all are interdisciplinary in nature. This is no coincidence: groundbreaking discoveries arise from the interplay of many perspectives. That is why TUD sees itself as “The Collaborative University.” 

TUD manages three of the Clusters entirely on its own, the other two are university consortia, one with Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg and the other with RWTH Aachen University. The five Clusters of Excellence cover the fields of resource-efficient construction, sustainable microelectronics, robotics and tactile internet, quantum physics, as well as physics of life. 

The areas of research that will receive funding are diverse and future-orientated:

A total of 70 Clusters of Excellence receive up to EUR 10 million per year from the Federal and State governments.

Further information on the five Clusters of Excellence

Jerónimo Castrillón-Mazo, Chair of Compiler Construction at the Faculty of Computer Science at TUD Dresden University of Technology (TUD), has been awarded one of the European Union's highly endowed ERC Consolidator Grants. His project, COMpilers for ExTreme Heterogeneity (COMETH), which will run for five years and receive EUR 2 million in funding, aims to develop a new generation of tools that will simplify the programming of increasingly complex computer systems for scientists, engineers, and other users.

Models capable of understanding different computing paradigms

As new technologies emerge – such as storage devices that can also perform calculations, or systems that utilize principles of quantum physics – computers are set to combine many fundamentally different types of hardware. This makes programming considerably more difficult. The COMETH project is building models capable of understanding different computing paradigms and knowing how they can work together to solve a task. This allows complex programming code to be automatically translated into the detailed instructions required by computers, which in the future will combine many fundamentally different types of hardware.

Prof. Angela Rösen-Wolff, Vice-Rector Research and Technology Transfer at TUD said, “With his research, Professor Jerónimo Castrillón-Mazo is making an important contribution to the continued development of emerging technologies such as those based on quantum physics. His work also extends to other areas of TUD and demonstrates how cutting-edge research is made possible primarily through strong networking.”

Professor Christel Baier, Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science, offered her congratulations, “The ERC Consolidator Grant is one of the EU's most highly endowed funding schemes. These grants honor outstanding scientists for their groundbreaking ideas. Jerónimo Castrillón-Mazo’s research is highly relevant to the efficient use of computer systems in the future. We extend our warmest congratulations to him on receiving the ERC Consolidator Grant and wish him and his team every success with the project!”

Award for the promotion of top researchers

The ERC Grants awarded by the European Research Council (ERC) are among the most prestigious European science awards and serve to support top researchers in conducting visionary fundamental research. In 2025, 349 ERC Consolidator Grants were selected from among 3,121 applications from across Europe and disciplines. They received a record-breaking EUR 728 million in funding.

About Jerónimo Castrillón-Mazo

In addition to his Chair, Jerónimo Castrillón-Mazo is a Research Fellow at the Barkhausen Institute and affiliated with the Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed), the Center for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Dresden/Leipzig (SCaDS.AI), and the 6G-life Hub. His research interests include methods, languages, tools, and algorithms for programming complex computing systems. He received his degree in Electronic Engineering from the Pontifical Bolivarian University (Spanish: Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana) in Colombia in 2004, his Master's degree from the ALaRI Institute in Switzerland in 2006, and his Doctorate (Dr.-Ing.) with honors from RWTH Aachen University in Germany in 2013.

Contact:
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jerónimo Castrillón-Mazo
jeronimo.castrillon@tu-dresden.de
+49 351 463 42716

SynoSys aims to develop a model ecosystem for future epidemics as part of the DREAM EP project

How can we spot future pandemics earlier? Which data really helps to make precise forecasts? And how can human behavior be integrated into predictive models? The DREAM EP (Data-informed Responsive Epidemic Analysis and Multiscale-Modelling for Epidemic Preparedness) research project is cooperating closely with SynoSys (Synergy of Systems) and a consortium of leading researchers in order to answer these and other questions. The center at TU Dresden has been awarded funding from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space.

The project, which will receive a total of EUR 1.8M, supports cutting-edge research in the field of pandemic forecasting. SynoSys will receive EUR 150,000 in the first funding phase. A second installment of EUR 150,000 is planned in two years' time, if the project is keeping up with its objectives.

A model ecosystem for future epidemics
DREAM EP is striving to improve the predictability of severe respiratory diseases. For this purpose, the project team will collect data on human contact structures, mobility patterns and protective behavior. By analyzing high-resolution data sets from the COVID-19 pandemic, DREAM EP is creating a comprehensive model ecosystem that maps spatial and temporal scales using methods from network science, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Interdisciplinary consortium headed by TU Dresden
Coordinated by Prof. Dirk Brockmann, director of the Center Synergy of Systems at TUD Dresden University of Technology, the project amalgamates an interdisciplinary consortium. The partners involved include Prof. Thilo Gross (Alfred Wegener Institute), Prof. Bernd Blasius (Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg), Prof. Christian Drosten (Charité Berlin), Prof. Vitaly Belik (Freie Universität Berlin) and Prof. Thorsten Lehr (Saarland University). By combining their expertise, they cover the key subject areas of epidemiology, virology, statistical physics, public health and computer-aided modeling. This interdisciplinary collaboration makes it possible to better understand the interactions between the way pandemics develop and the human response.

From large data sets to flexible prediction models
Based on extensive data sets – not only data on the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but also daily mobility data from Germany and global air traffic flows – DREAM EP will develop an adaptive modeling framework. In addition to investigating fundamental questions about scales and feedback in epidemiological modeling, the project also aims to develop more accurate, data-supported forecasting tools.

These include:

• Analysis of changing mobility networks during pandemics and their influence on disease dynamics
• Analysis of contact networks on a micro scale and clinical procedures
• Causal analysis between the spread of disease, behavior, information and policy
• Development of optimal models for epidemic forecasts
• Identification of viral evolution principles in network-structured populations
• Development of a scalable framework for the prediction of severe respiratory diseases

Bolstering the ability to deal with a pandemic
Using methods such as machine learning, deep learning, network and causal analysis, and hypergraph modeling, a future-oriented platform will be created that should significantly improve the predictive power in the early phases of an outbreak. DREAM EP is therefore making a decisive, scientifically sound contribution to long-term strategies for global health protection and pandemic resilience.

Contact:
Center Synergy of Systems
Prof. Dirk Brockmann
Tel.: +49 351 463 40918
E-Mail: synosys@tu-dresden.de

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is establishing the new Research Training Group, “The Biological Making of Materials” (RTG 3142) at TUD Dresden University of Technology. To this end, the DFG is providing several million euros for a period of five years.  Up to 20 PhD students will work on this interdisciplinary research project, deciphering the mechanisms by which organisms produce functional materials and regulate their properties both spatially and temporally. Their findings concerning materials created by nature will enable innovative approaches to the production of sustainable materials in the future. The interdisciplinary RTG brings together researchers from various fields and is headed by Speaker Prof. Yael Politi (B CUBE – Center for Molecular Bioengineering, TUD) and co-speaker Prof. Franziska Knopf (CRTD – Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden & the Faculty of Medicine, TUD).

Collaborative and interdisciplinary research

Prof. Angela Rösen-Wolff, Vice-Rector Research and Technology Transfer at TUD said, “This newly established Research Training Group is an excellent example of how collaborative and interdisciplinary research is carried out at TUD in the interest of cutting-edge science. In addition, by linking life sciences and materials science, the research topic offers numerous points of contact with our Clusters of Excellence and also addresses important issues of societal responsibility to which TUD is fully committed, such as sustainability and transfer aspects.”

Organisms produce a wide array of versatile materials. They build these materials primarily from simple building blocks such as sugars, proteins, and minerals. These biological materials are produced in aqueous environments at ambient pressure and temperature, and can therefore serve as prototypes for the sustainable design and manufacture of bio-inspired materials.

Connecting life sciences with materials science

Advancing sustainable materials production requires scientists and entrepreneurs who can operate in interdisciplinary contexts and connect life sciences with materials science. This new generation of "material biologists" will identify and decipher biological solutions to challenges in material synthesis that can be translated into future innovations and sustainable material technology. The goal of the DFG-funded RTG will be to gain a mechanistic understanding of materials formed by organisms across multiple scales.

“In this way, our Research Training Group represents a qualification program that is specifically designed to bridge the gaps between the life sciences and materials science by offering fundamental training in both areas. All of us involved— including our colleagues at the Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB), and the Faculties of Biology, Physics, Medicine, Mathematics, and Computer Science at TU Dresden—are thrilled to be able to explore this fascinating topic together," agree Prof. Politi and Prof. Knopf.

Formation of biological materials

RTG 3142 will focus specifically on the formation of biological materials such as cuticular proteins in spiders and flies, biogenic crystals in zebrafish, and the silica dioxide cell walls of diatoms. Mathematical modeling, biochemical, biophysical, and molecular biological approaches will be used to decipher the formation of a variety of biological materials. Fifteen principal investigators, including biologists, chemists, physicists, materials scientists, and mathematicians, will work together on this interdisciplinary research and training program for five years. The results will provide insights into both general and unique solutions for material requirements found in nature and ultimately advance the development of bio-inspired sustainable material processing techniques.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Yael Politi
Speaker Research Training Group RTG 3142
B CUBE – Center for Molecular Bioengineering
yael.politi@​tu-dresden.de
+49 351 463-44301

Prof. Dr. Franziska Knopf
Co-speaker Research Training Group RTG 3142
CRTD – Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden
franziska.knopf@tu-dresden.de

The conference program is now finalized - and it promises an inspiring and thought-provoking experience in Dresden! Proceedings begin on November 26, 2025 with a festive welcome to the city: participants are invited to join an evening visit to the world-famous Striezelmarkt, followed by an optional cultural highlight at the Semper Opera with Puccini's Turandot.

The academic program opens on November 27 with registration and welcome words by Christian Prunitsch, followed by Marianne Kneuer's introduction to the conference theme. Three panels then set the stage for an in-depth exploration of authoritarian networks. Panel I examines conceptual foundations, focusing on how autocratic systems stabilize power and integrate elites. Panel II looks at media and communication dynamics, discussing the role of social media, AI, and populist narratives in reinforcing authoritarian tendencies. Panel III widens the perspective to transnational developments, from Chinese digital influence in Africa to the role of private foundations in autocratization. The day concludes with a keynote by Rachel Beatty Riedl on democratic erosion through transnational authoritarianism, followed by an invited dinner hosted by TU Dresden.

On November 28, Panels IV and V continue the discussion, followed by a collaborative brainstorming session on future funding opportunities, and optional social activities in Dresden's historic center.

The full program can be found here.

We look forward to welcoming you to the 6th TUDiSC conference! If you haven't yet registered you can do so here.

The Eva Mayr-Stihl Foundation is funding a new joint project entitled “Forests in Transition: The Future of the European Beech during Drought Stress” at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at TUD Dresden University of Technology from 2026 to 2029 with a total of EUR 1.6 million. Five forestry chairs and two chairs in geosciences will collaborate in this interdisciplinary research project.

Climate change with increasing droughts requires measures to strengthen the resilience of our forests. This also applies to the European beech, an important deciduous tree species in Germany. In particular, clear signs of damage can already be observed in older beech stands. Targeted thinning of stands — removing selected trees so that the remaining ones have to compete less for water— could be one way to improve the vitality of beech trees. However, there is currently little and partly contradictory information available on this.

This research project therefore aims to quantify the effects of different types of thinning on the water supply, as well as the vitality, biomass development, and carbon storage of old beech trees. This will provide the scientific foundation for developing silvicultural strategies to establish climate-resilient, mixed beech forests.

Prof. Karsten Kalbitz, who coordinates this joint project, highlights the novel combination of cross-scale monitoring approaches to obtain and link data on crown water status, water transport, soil water availability, and root activity in beech stands with varying degrees of thinning. Remote sensing approaches will allow researchers to predict transpiration, vitality, and carbon storage from the individual trees to the landscape level, supported by terrestrial measurements.

Existing experimental areas in the Dübener Heide (near-natural beech forest) and six other beech forests in Saxony (where thinning has taken place in a targeted manner) form the experimental basis for the project. Thus, the project will build specifically on ongoing research work by TUD's Forest Sciences in Tharandt. Close cooperation with the Saxony Forest State Enterprise (Staatsbetrieb Sachsen) and the Federal Forestry Agency (Bundesforst) will ensure the scientific success of the project while also guaranteeing its high practical relevance.

The project will work closely with the newly established junior research group “Forest-related Environmental Communication,” which is also funded by the Eva Mayr-Stihl Foundation, to combine scientific findings with target group-oriented public relations and practical communication in a pilot project.

“The focus on mature trees in various forests in the rejuvenated stand and the inclusion of all relevant data — from the roots to the crown — particularly impressed us in the research concept,” says Susann Pfeiffer from the Eva Mayr-Stihl Foundation. “In addition, the project will be able to use data from previous projects; the test areas have already been set up, and the scientists have successfully trialed their interdisciplinary collaboration. In other words, the starting conditions are ideal.”

Contact:

Prof. Karsten Kalbitz
Institute of Soil Science and Site Ecology
TUD Dresden University of Technology
Email: karsten.kalbitz@tu-dresden.de

Something strange goes on inside the material platinum-bismuth-two (PtBi₂). A new study by researchers at IFW Dresden and the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat demonstrates that while PtBi₂ may look like a typical shiny grey crystal, electrons moving through it do some things never seen before.

In 2024, the research team demonstrated that the top and bottom surfaces of the material superconduct, meaning electrons pair up and move without resistance. Now, they reveal that this pairing works differently from any superconductor we have seen before. Enticingly, the edges around the superconducting surfaces hold long-sought-after Majorana particles, which may be used as fault-tolerant quantum bits (qubits) in quantum computers.

Three steps to a unique topological superconductor

We can break down PtBi₂’s strange superconductivity in three steps.

First, some electrons are confined to the top and bottom surfaces of the material. This is a so-called ‘topological’ property of PtBi₂, caused by interactions between the electrons and the neatly arranged atoms in the crystalline material. Importantly, topological properties are robust: they can’t change unless you change the symmetry of the whole material, either by changing the entire crystal structure, or by applying an electromagnetic field.

In PtBi₂, the electrons confined to the top surface are complemented by those bound to the bottom surface, no matter how many layers of atoms lie between these surfaces. And if you would cut the crystal in half, the new top and bottom surfaces automatically also host complementary electrons confined to the surface.

Second, these surface-bound electrons pair up at low temperatures, allowing them to move without any resistance. The rest of the electrons don’t pair up, and keep behaving like normal electrons do. This makes PtBi₂ a natural superconductor sandwich, with superconducting top and bottom surfaces and a normal metallic interior.

The topological nature of the surface electrons make PtBi₂ a topological superconductor. There are only a handful of other candidate materials thought to have intrinsic topological superconductivity, and to date none of these is supported by convincingly consistent or conclusive experimental evidence.

Finally, new uniquely high-resolution measurements from Dr. Sergey Borisenko’s lab at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (IFW Dresden) reveal that not all surface-bound electrons pair up equally. Remarkably, surface electrons moving along six symmetrical directions resolutely refuse to pair up. These directions reflect the three-fold rotation symmetry of how the atoms are arranged in the material’s surface.

In normal superconductors, all electrons pair up regardless of what direction they move in. Some unconventional superconductors, like the cuprate materials famous for becoming superconducting at higher temperatures, have a more restricted pairing with a four-fold rotation symmetry. PtBi₂ is the first superconductor showing restricted pairing with a six-fold rotation symmetry.

“We have never seen this before. Not only is PtBi₂ a topological superconductor, but the electron pairing that drives this superconductivity is different from all other superconductors we know of,” says Borisenko. “We don’t yet understand how this pairing comes about.”

Edges trap elusive Majorana particles

The new study also confirms that PtBi₂ offers a new way to produce long-sought-after Majorana particles.

“Our computations demonstrate that the topological superconductivity in PtBi₂ automatically creates Majorana particles that are trapped along the edges of the material. In practice, we could artificially make step edges in the crystal, to create as many Majoranas as we want,” notes Prof. Jeroen van den Brink, Director of the IFW Institute for Theoretical Solid State Physics and principal investigator of the Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat.

A pair of Majorana particles acts as a single electron, but individually they behave very differently. This concept of ‘split electrons’ is the foundation for topological quantum computing, which aims to build more stable qubits. The separation of Majorana particle pairs protects them against noise and errors.

Now that PtBi₂’s unique superconductivity and related Majorana particles have been found, a next step is to control them. For example, thinning the material down will change the non-superconducting ‘sandwich filling’, potentially turning it from a conducting metal into an insulator. This also means that the non-superconducting electrons cannot interfere with the use of the Majoranas as qubits. Alternatively, applying a magnetic field will shift the electron energy levels, and could, for example, cause the Majorana particles to move from the edges to the corners of the material.

Publication
Topological nodal i-wave superconductivity in PtBi₂. S. Changdar, O. Suvorov, A. Kuibarov, S. Thirupathaiah, G. Shipunov, S. Aswartham, S. Wurmehl, I. Kovalchuk, K. Koepernik, C. Timm, B. Büchner, I. Cosma Fulga, S. Borisenko, J. van den Brink. Nature (2025), DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09712-6 (LINK: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09712-6) (arXiv)

Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden
The Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW Dresden) is an independent, non-university research institute and member of the Leibniz Association. Around 500 employees from more than 35 nations investigate the physics and chemistry of solids and materials to develop new functionalities for quantum materials, 2D materials and technologies for energy applications. In five institutes, an interdisciplinary team from experimental physics, theoretical solid-state physics, chemistry, materials research and electrical engineering links basic research with application-oriented work.

Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat
The Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat – Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter has been jointly run by Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg and Technische Universität Dresden since 2019. Nearly 400 scientists from more than 30 countries and from four continents study topological quantum materials that reveal surprising phenomena under extreme conditions such as ultra-low temperatures, high pressure, or strong magnetic fields. ct.qmat is funded through the German Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments and is the only Cluster of Excellence to be based in two different federal states.

Media Contact
Katja Lesser
Press Officer & Head of Communications
Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat
Tel: +49 351 463 33496
Email: katja.lesser@tu-dresden.de