| Mission |
The Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS) at the Eindhoven University of Technology focuses on multidisciplinary science and education in the engineering of complex molecular systems. It brings students and scientists from different disciplines together to create small molecular factories based on novel insights in self-assembly, sophisticated engineering tools and modeling. The almost unlimited possibilities of nano-science and micro-technology will offer design rules for dynamic systems in which different time and length scales are integrated. The institute will also be home to an advanced study centre that will provide scientists with a forum for multidisciplinary discussions on complexity at the TU/e campus. The Institute's primary research activities revolve around the supramolecular chemistry of complex molecular systems, the engineering of these systems, and the mathematical treatment of the processes involved. Through engineering of simple complexity of purely artificial systems by building them from the ground-up we will ensure a situation that can be modelled mathematically. A wide range of experiments are combined with predictions using mathematics and modelling. In addition, we believe that these complex molecular systems can only be fabricated when novel engineering tools are developed and used. The key research themes are: the interplay between theory and experiment with the goal of achieving an understanding of systems chemistry, replicating systems and the origin of complexity on earth; the discovery of the scope and limitations of micro-fluidics synthesizing simple multi-component systems; and the non-covalent syntheses of a few well-designed supramolecular complex systems. |
