New professor at the Institute of Organic Chemistry: Innovation boost for semiconductors!

New professor at the Institute of Organic Chemistry: Innovation boost for semiconductors!

On August 1, 2025, Princekumar Ravat took up his new professorship at the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Cologne. This professorship is part of the renowned Heisenberg program of the German Research Foundation (DFG), which annually supports outstanding scientists. Loud uni-koeln.de The W2 professorship is supported with around 510,000 euros for three years. There is an option to extend the term for a further two years, provided the evaluation is successful.

Ravat's research focuses on the development of chiral functional molecules. With the increasing need for materials that respond to multiple external stimuli simultaneously, Ravat aims to develop organic semiconductors with chiral structure. These innovative semiconductors are intended to enable the control of electrical charges, spins and light interactions and advance the next generation of (opto)electronic devices.

Academic background and awards

Princekumar Ravat has made a name for himself in the scientific community. He received his doctorate from the University of Mainz in 2014 and is conducting his dissertation at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research. He completed his habilitation at the University of Würzburg in 2023. For his remarkable achievements, Ravat received several awards, including the Thieme Chemistry Journals Award 2022 and the ERC Starting Grant 2022. These recognitions reflect his outstanding contributions to chemistry.

The Heisenberg Program is aimed at scientists who are in the transition phase to a permanent professorship. The funding enables participants to continue their own projects and expand their scientific reputation. Loud dfg.de Great emphasis is placed on special academic achievements, and the program offers different types of funding that can be individually adapted.

Integration into the research community

At the same time, a new professorship with a focus on “Theory of Functional Photonic Structures” was established at the University of Paderborn. This area complements the university's research focus in “Optoelectronics & Photonics” and is supported by the Center for Optoelectronics and Photonics Paderborn (CeOPP). uni-paderborn.de reported. Research activities focus on theoretical physics related to condensed matter and optics and promote collaborations at various levels.

The focus of the Heisenberg funding in Paderborn includes, among other things, the investigation of one- and two-photon excitations as well as nonlinear polariton physics in semiconductor microcavities. Close collaboration with experimental partners and active spectroscopy in the nonlinear optical regime could enable fundamental advances in the understanding of nano-optical structures.

Ravat and the new professorship in Paderborn exemplify the innovative strength and cooperative spirit of the German research landscape, which continues to set new standards in science.