The Cluster of Excellence welcomes Ioachim Pupeza, new working group leader at the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology. He complements the Microverse research portfolio in the field of field-resolved spectroscopic measurement methods. For the research project „Laser-Based Infrared Vibrational Electric-Field Fingerprinting“ (LIVE), the physicist has been awarded a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC).

In his ERC Consolidator Grant funded project „LIVE“, Pupeza is working toward developing novel light sources and innovative approaches to recording optical electric fields. The goal is to use the control over light at the level of single optical field oscillations afforded by femtosecond lasers and nonlinear optics to overcome current technological limitations, and thereby tap the full potential of vibrational spectroscopic fingerprinting in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and throughput.

Ioachim Pupeza is confident about the future: „My vision is to develop instruments for the analysis of biomedical samples such as cells, tissue or respiratory gas, with drastically increased throughput and, therefore, shorter analysis times. In turn, this promises to impact the speed of diagnostic decision-making and the capabilities of therapy monitoring.“

The project is funded by the ERC over five years with a sum of around two million euros. In addition, the close collaboration within the Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse and the University Hospital Jena offers great opportunities in clinically relevant proof-of-concept experiments. Further collaborations are in preparation with Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, University of Vienna and Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.

About ERC funding

The European Research Council (ERC) was initiated by the European Union in 2007 and has established itself as a globally visible, European funding program for cutting-edge research. 321 researchers have received Consolidator Grants from the European Research Council in 2022. The grants, totaling 657 million euros, are part of the EU’s Horizon Europe program. They are intended to support excellent scientists who have seven to twelve years of experience following their doctorate to pursue their most promising ideas.

About Leibniz IPHT

The Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT) researches the scientific basics of photonic processes and systems of the highest sensitivity, efficiency, and resolution. In keeping with its “Photonics for Life” motto, IPHT develops custom solutions to problems in the fields of medicine and the life and environmental sciences that are based on this research. Following IPHT’s principle “From Ideas to Instruments,” the institute implements the insights gained from research into processes, instrumental concepts, and sometimes even into laboratory prototypes in order to sustainably contribute to the benefit of patients and consumers.

Text: Andrea Borowsky, Leibniz-IPHT
Photo: Thorsten Näser

02/07/2023