PhD Position Available: Functionalization of Biosilica from Diatom Microalgae

BEEP (Bio-inspired and bionic materials for enhanced photosynthesis) is an interdisciplinary research training network funded by the EU Horizon 2020 program, where research groups with strong expertise in biology, chemistry, physics and materials science will educate the next generation of researchers in bio-inspired photonics and photosynthesis.

After two years of virtual meetings and long-distance collaborations, the BEEP consortium can finally meet in person for the first time at the BEEP Summer School. Members of the BEEP consortium will be joined by other researchers from different institutions to foster exchanges and ideas for the future. The BEEP Summer School aims to create a fertile environment for researchers of all stages to exchange around the topic of bio-inspired materials from the biology, chemistry and physics points of view to the technological applications. Senior researchers with a rich career in science will come together with early-stage scientists in a dynamic and exciting week of workshops, round tables, discussions and activities. During five days, the early-career researchers will hone their academic skills, challenge their scientific and industrial minds, and exchange with the more experienced participants about the genesis of a project like the BEEP, the place of women in science, and possible career paths after their degree.

Keynote talks from the BEEP industrial partners and from invited speakers will expand on topics from state-of-the-art scientific instruments to model organisms in photoactive material studies and novel research in bio-inspired materials.

We aim to make this week a fruitful time for collaboration and exchange between researchers of different horizons and career levels, gathered by a common interest around bio-inspired materials for a novel future where we can help tackle current challenges.