From plastics, also known as polymers, almost anything can be manufactured nowadays - especially when it is possible to suitably connect different types of polymers. Such copolymers allow for the targeted control of material properties. To enable tomorrow's leading chemists, as well as computer scientists, to synthesize and investigate these copolymers even more precisely and effectively, they need not only chemical knowledge but also IT and robotics skills. This training is provided to young scientists in a new Research Training Group at the universities of Jena and Bayreuth, which has been announced for funding by the DFG today. The Research Training Group " COIN – Copolymer Informatics: Blending digital technologies and copolymer chemistry – From design to application " will be funded by the DFG starting next year with a ca. five million euros for initially five years.
One prominent example of copolymers is Lego bricks. There is already the ideal polymer mix for them, but many other products could be improved or newly created by the application of copolymers: Ranging from medicine to packaging or to transportation, i.e. wherever polymers are applied. " For enabling new technologies, science and industry need polymer chemists who have been trained at the highest level," says Prof. Dr. Ulrich S. Schubert from the University of Jena. "However, the use of computer science, machine learning, and robotics is still very limited in polymer research," says the future spokesperson. "In COIN, therefore, informatics methods will be taught so that the young chemists and engineers are familiar with research data handling are ideally prepared to manage these large data volumes in order to make them usable for IT,," explains the deputy spokesperson Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Ruckdäschel from the University of Bayreuth. Computer scientists can also participate in the new Research Training Group. They will receive training in (polymer) chemistry. Moreover, robotics will be a focus in the new graduate school, as many automated activities, such as the synthesis of polymers, can already be performed by robots. However, the scientists and the robots are still working alongside, rather than together. Therefore, the new Research Training Group will deepen human-machine interactions. All this should enable the targeted linkage of synthesis, processing, and properties of copolymers.
Interdisciplinary and International Training
To achieve this goal, the expertise of the fields of synthesis, analytics, polymer chemistry, theoretical chemistry, engineering, computer science, and robotics of the two leading German polymer science sites will be combined in the Research Training Group. "The participating doctoral candidates will receive a high degree of interdisciplinary training in polymer informatics, enabling them to communicate between the disciplines and find new ways of conducting research," emphasizes Prof. Schubert. The training will take place both on-site and digitally, with joint events such as conferences or a summer school. The doctoral candidates will also be active in various interdisciplinary projects at both locations. The short distance between Jena and Bayreuth facilitates continuous exchange among the researchers.
The Research Training Group will offer 15 places for doctoral candidates in the initial five-year phase - a further four-year phase is possible following a successful evaluation. About 18 doctoral candidates will be able to participate in the training program as associated members in the first phase.
All junior staff will undergo not only academic training but also practical courses: The computer scientists will go into the chemical laboratory and perform experiments, while the chemistry experts will develop (ML) programs. Furthermore, there will be the opportunity to spend up to six months working in industry or abroad during the doctorate.
