Funded Seed Projects

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A Glimpse into the Hidden World of Pores: In-Situ TEM Observation of Pore Wetting and Dewetting in Mesoporous Structures

Dr. Charlotte Ruhmlieb (UHH) | Funding / PIER Seed Projects | 10/2025

How do liquids flow through confined cavities? Can we directly observe agitation within tiny pores on a seconds time scale? Understanding wetting and dewetting dynamics in mesoporous materials is crucial to specifically enhance their utilization in gas storage, chromatography, catalysis, and coatings. However, these processes remain largely unexplored at the nanoscale.

Spin-resolved dynamics induced by ultrafast rotating current in chiral molecules

Aurelien Sanchez (UHH) | Funding / PIER Seed Projects | 09/2025

The electron spin in chiral molecules is strongly coupled to the molecular frame, providing spin control over chemical reactions also known as chiral induced spin selectivity (CISS). Photoelectrons traversing a self-as-sembled monolayer of chiral molecules absorbed on a surface can have a spin polarization of almost 90% in particular cases.

Leveraging nanomechanical membrane resonators for new fundamental physics searches and squeezed-light readout

Dr. David Rousso (DESY) | Funding / PIER Seed Projects | 09/2025

The advent of gravitational wave detection brought on by the LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA collaborations have been vital to the field of astrophysics, enabling new tests of general relativity and better understanding of the properties and interactions of black holes and neutron stars.

Combining a Transgenic C. elegans Model with Multiphoton Imaging to Explore Tau Condensate Dynamics in Neurodegeneration

Prince Rajaiah (UHH) | Funding / PIER Seed Projects | 09/2025

Dementia is quickly emerging as one of the most pressing global health challenges of our time. Within Ger-many, approximately 1.8 million people are currently affected by dementia, with Alzheimer's disease identified as the leading cause.

A mass spectrometry-based screening platform to identify co-substrates of nucleotide transferasess

Dr. Marietta Sandkamp-Kaspers (UKE) and Dr. Michael Hecht-Bucher (UKE) | Funding / PIER Seed Projects | 09/2025

Bacterial pathogens use Fic enzymes as virulence factors during infection. Consequently, understanding the impact of Fic enzymes on bacterial pathogenicity requires the identification of the modified host target protein. However, the identification of the target protein is extremely challenging without knowledge of the nucleoide co-substrate.

Neuro-degenerative Impact of in cellulo and in situ characterised Viral Amyloids

Dr. Michael Hons (DESY) | Funding / PIER Seed Projects | 09/2025

Amyloids are peptides known for their ability to self-assemble into highly structured fibrils. Despite growing evidence pointing to amyloid properties in viral proteins, research at the molecular level remains scarce.

Exploring ultrafast electronic coherences in metal-organic complexes in solution

Dr. Oliviero Cannelli (DESY) | Funding / PIER Seed Projects | 10/2024

Controlling the electronic motion at its intrinsic time scale is creating the conditions for innovative, light-induced chemical reaction routes via charge-directed reactivity, allowing to manipulate molecular functions at the microscopic level.

3D-Nanoprinted Microchannel Plate (3DN-MCP) Detector Functionalized by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) for Mass Spectrometry of High-Mass Proteins

Dr. Stefanie Haugg (UHH) | Funding / PIER Seed Projects | 09/2024

The investigation of intact proteins is a key aspect of top-down proteomics that reduces sample complexity and preserves information on modifications at the protein level, which will ultimately help to advance the understanding of complex disease mechanisms.

In vitro and in situ structural characterization of the biofilm-associated small basic protein (SBP) amyloid

Dr. Jim Monistrol (DESY) | Funding / PIER Seed Projects | 09/2024

Nosocomial infections caused by Staphylococcus epidermidis are closely linked to the formation of biofilms and antibiotic resistance mechanisms, which include the presence of amyloid fibrils.

First measurement of the even number photon distribution of a squeezed vacuum state

Dr. Gulden Othman | Funding / PIER Seed Projects | 09/2023

Quantum computers (QCs) promise to help us solve computationally expensive problems that are currently unattainable for classical computers— from the modeling of complicated atomic systems and viruses, to optimization of shipping routes.

A vascularized, innervated, 3D skin-on-a-chip organoid model to study viral infections and antiviral treatment

Dr. Manja Czech-Sioli (UKE) | Funding / PIER Seed Projects | 09/2023

Physiological model systems and advanced analysis tools are the basis for a comprehensive understanding of infectious diseases and development of therapeutic strategies.

Tuning the valley selective excitation and phonon dynamics in tungsten disulfide quantum material

Dr. Christian Nweze | Funding / PIER Seed Projects | 09/2023

Exotic behavior of electrons in the quantum materials forms the basis for future technologies.

Investigation of the valence electronic structure and dynamics of nanostructured materials via high-order harmonic generation

Agata Azzolin | Funding / PIER Seed Projects | 09/2023

In the past two decades, the interest over nanophotonics has been constantly increasing, leading to remarkable results in light harvesting technologies, photocatalysis and optoelectronic applications.

Development of RF control for future gravitational wave detectors using SRF cavities

Dr. Julien Branlard (DESY/M) | Funding / PIER Seed Projects | 09/2023

The use of superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities is a highly promising approach to search with a tabletop-sized device for gravitational waves above the LIGO/Virgo band in a largely uncharted frequency range.

The influence of nano-structural interfaces and their composition on bone’s fracture behavior

Dr. Mahan Qwamizadeh (UKE), Dr. Imke A.K. Fiedler (UKE) | PIER Seed Projects | 08/2022

Human cortical bone is a highly complex composite that attains its unique combination of strength and toughness through deformation and toughening mechanisms at multiple length-scales throughout its hierarchical framework. Ageing and disease-related factors may alter the structure of bone at all levels of its hierarchy, raising the risk of fracture.

Employing pathogenic multispecies biofilms as a model for studying the structural components of the extracellular matrix and the role of uncharacterized proteins in infection

Dr. Ifey Alio (UHH) | PIER Seed Projects | 08/2022

Until now microbiology has mainly focused on single species microorganisms as the main drivers of infections. However with an improved understanding on the human microbiome it has become clear that in lungs and wounds complex microbial consortia establish infections. In clinical settings there is evidence that both fungi and bacteria contribute to respiratory infection particularly among cystic fibrosis Patients.

Measurement of Vacuum Magnetic Birefringence using the ALPS II Magnet String

Dr. Aaron Spector (DESY) | PIER Seed Projects | 08/2022

The theory of quantum electrodynamics remains a remarkably accurate description of the electrodynamic interactions as more and more of its predictions are experimentally verified.

Attosecond Electronics in Plasmonic Supercrystals under Deep Strong Coupling

Dr. Markus Ludwig (DESY) | PIER Seed Projects | 08/2022

Virtually every linear and nonlinear optical process relies on the interaction of light and matter. Especially under conditions of strongly pronounced light-matter coupling, rich physical phenomena with strong scientific and technological implications emerge.

Femtosecond to millisecond time-resolved spectroscopy of DNA pi-stacking in bulk and confined in microfluidic chips

Dr. Alessandra Picchiotti (UHH) | PIER Seed Projects | 08/2022

Knowing the exact mechanism of DNA damage that results in malignant melanoma is of vital importance for developing preventive measures and treatments. Sometimes the safe mechanisms fail to function, for example when the pi-stacking of too many nearby nucleobases is disrupted, leading to dimerization (pyrimidine dimers formation).

Femtosecond plasmon dynamics

Dr. Holger Lange (UHH) | PIER Seed Projects | 08/2022

Plasmonics treats the unique optical excitations of metallic nanoparticles. The plasmon is a collective electron oscillation, associated with localized fields.

Associated publications

The PIER Seed Projects funding program was established in 2012. Since then, numerous publications have emerged from the various projects funded by PIER:

See all publications