network

Since April 2000, the Network also started a formal collaboration with the group of Prof. Garry S. Hanan, University of Waterloo, Canada (now moved to Université de Montréal, Canada). Prof. Hanan's and his group have been considered partner (non formal), they attended the workshops, board meetings, and share the knowledge and expertise, and of course collaboration of common topics initiated. This allowed the young researchers to have contacts with non-European teams and also reinforce their knowledge even beyond the European perspectives.

Research objectives

The aims of the project are (i) to employ the bottom-up approach to synthesize nanometer-sized, configurationally-defined luminescent oligonuclear metal complexes and (ii) to investigate some of the most interesting properties of such species. In particular, the properties under study will be: (a) the effect of the chirality on photoinduced intramolecular energy and electron transfer within the supramolecular arrays, (b) specific interaction and photoreactions with biological substrates such as nucleic acids, and (c) the properties exhibited by nanometer-sized species containing both luminescent and paramagnetic building blocks.

Ultimate goals are the bottom-up design of materials containing a variety of information which (i) can be used to convert light energy into a more valuable energy source and/or into information bits (including development of novel magneto-optical devices) or (ii) can be exploited by light to map and/or mark DNA structures.

The teams involved in the network have complementary expertise in organic and inorganic synthesis, photophysics (including the use of ultrafast techniques), electrochemistry, advanced mass spectrometry, DNA chemistry, and molecular magnetic materials. A major enphasis is on the training of young researchers.

Schematic representation of the project.

The network is close to the end of its activity, planned for the end of April 2003. For this reason, only few students directly funded by TMR are still active. On the contrary, the number of young researchers who are active at the moment but independently funded is still high (20). The network delivered a quite large effort in terms of training: beside the ones who are still active, other 27 young researchers, most of them directly funded by the TMR, worked at the project in the last four years. In summary, around 50 young researchers took advantage of the activity of the TMR Network. To this number, other 5 young researchers operating in the connected Canada team can be added.

Young researchers employed at the moment

PhD students, TMR funded

Ariane Etoc (Bruxelles) email: aetoc@ulb.ac.be

Rossella Sanvito (Strasbourg)

Postdocs and PhD students independently funded:

Dr. Sandrine Fraysse (Fribourg) email: Sandryne.Fraysse@unifr.ch

Michelle E. Higgins (Dublin) e-mail: higginme@tcd.ie

Karen O'Donoghue (Dublin) e-mail: revelles@maths.tcd.ie

Boris Quinodoz (Fribourg) email: boris.quinodoz@unifr.ch

Fausto Puntoriero (Messina) e-mail: puntoriero@chem.unime.it

Julien Leveque (Bruxelles)

Roman Blasius (Bruxelles)

Olivier Lentzen (Bruxelles)

Thomas Bark (Fribourg)

Nathalie Carte (Strasbourg)

Mathias Dueggeli (Fribourg)

Rosalba Passalacqua (Messina)

Maurilio Galletta (Messina)

Stephanie Deroo (Bruxelles)

Nicolas Classens (Bruxelles)

Benoit Debecher (Bruxelles)

Arnaud Boisdenghien (Bruxelles)

Benjamin Elias (Bruxelles)

Christine Hamman (Fribourg)

Laure-Emmanuelle Perret (Fribourg)

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TMR-Young researchers who worked at the project.

Dr. Cinzia Di Pietro (Messina, 1999-2001) email: cinzia.dipietro@chem.unime.it

Dr. Jerome Kolnaar (Brussels, 1998-1999)

Dr. Angel Cantin Sanz (Pisa, 1999-2000)

Dr. Liam M.Gilby (Fribourg, 1998-2000)

Cathy Ginglinger (Fribourg)

Dr. Roman Korner (Strasbourg, 1999-2000)

Dr. André Del Guerzo (Bruxelles, 1999)

Dr. Paul Griffiths (Messina, 1999-2000) email: paul@chem.unime.it

Dr. David Garcia-Fresnadillo (Bruxelles, 1999) e-mail: dgfresna@eucmax.sim.ucm.es

Dr. Philip R. Mackie (Dublin, 1999-2002) e-mail: mackiep@tcd.ie

Dr. J. Carlos Penedo-Esteiro (Dublin,1999-2002) e-mail: jcpenedoe@mail.tcd.ie

Dr. Frederique Loiseau (Messina, 1999-2001) e-mail: F.Loiseau@chem.unime.it

Dr. Susana Encinas (Bologna, 2000-2001) e-mail: sencinas@frae.bo.cnr.it

Dr. Stephan Schumm (Bruxelles, 2000-2002) e-mail: sschumm@ulb.ac.be

Dr. Nathan McClenaghan (Messina, 2000-2002) email: nathan@chem.unime.it

Dr. Alain Maggiani (Pisa, 2000) email: alain_maggiani@hotmail.com

Dr. Roman Koerner (Strasbourg, 2000) email: rkoerner@chimie_u.strasbg.fr

Dr. Héléne Nierengarter (Strasbourg, 1999-2002)

Dr. Béatrice Maubert (Messina, 2001-2002)

Dr. Marielle Loï (Fribourg) email: Marielle.Loï@unifr.ch

Dr. André Brodkorb (Bruxelles, 1998-2001 as PhD; Dublin, 2002 as post-doc) e-mail: brodkorb@ulb.ac.be

Dr. Antonella Di Trapani (Dublin, 1999-2002) e-mail: trapani@tcd.ie

Dr. Isabelle Kolber (Bruxelles, 2000-2002)

Dr. Frederick Pierard (Bruxelles, 2000-2001)

Dr. Liana Ghisdova (Fribourg, 1998-2000 as PhD; Bruxelles, 2001 as postdoc) email:

Dr. Carol Bresson (Bruxelles, 1999-2001) e-mail: cbresson@ulb.ac.be

Dr. Angeles Farran Morales (Bologna, 2001-2002)

Dr. Matthew Polson (Canada, 2000-2002)

Network Activities

1st Board meeting: Hotel Baiaverde, Catania, Italy, July 7-8, 1998.

1st Network Workshop: Fribourg, Switzerland, February 20-21, 1999.

2nd Board Meeting: Lipari-Italy, July 3-4, 1999.

2nd Network Workshop: Dublin, Ireland, October 1-3, 1999.

3rd Board Meeting: Dublin, Ireland, October 3, 1999.

1st Post-docs and PhDs Workshop: Bruxelles, Belgium, March 23-24, 2000.

4th Board Meeting: Edinburgh, 7 July 2000.

3rd Network Workshop: Pisa, Italy, September 22-24, 2000. (Picture of the group of Participants in front of Scuola Normale Superiore)

5th Board meeting (in connection with the 3rd ws): Pisa, Italy, september 24, 2000.

Mid-term Review Meeting (in connection with the 4th Network Workshop): Bruxelles, Belgium, January 2001 (3 full days).

5th Network Workshop: Bologna, Italy, September 2001.

6th Board Meeting (in connection with the 5th ws): Bologna, Italy, September 2001.

7th Board Meeting: Strasbourg, France, December 2001.

Planned Next Activities

6th Network Workshop: Taormina, Italy, 9-11 February 2003. Industrial representants will attend.

More information on this and other TMR networks can also be found at http://www.cordis.lu/tmr/src/network1.htm