Nanoscopic or microscopic structures with their physical properties strongly affected by confinement effects are called quantum structures. This proposal aims for the investigation of ultrafast dynamics in different kinds of quantum structures, namely, semiconductor nanocrystals and metal nano¬particles, their combination to complex nanohybrids, nanowires, nanosheets, as well as nanoemitters in optical cavities. The high-quality quantum structures have been fabricated and already optically investigated by the applicant and his co-workers. These successful experiments delivered important results, but they did not allow for the investigation of the dynamics on a time scale below several picoseconds. On this short time scale, however, multiexciton and exciton relaxation dynamics, phonon dynamics, trapping to surface or defect states, non-radiative recombination, or stimulated emission occur, all determining the optical properties of the quantum structures. It is proposed to perform ultrafast laser spectroscopy on these structures in the expert research group of Prof. Kambhampati at McGill University, Canada. Here, unique spectroscopic facilities exist to investigate the relevant dynamics. Two kinds of experiments will be performed, which will also train the applicant in cutting-edge ultrafast spectroscopy techniques. Firstly, state-resolved transient absorption measurements will directly access the ultrafast dynamics. Secondly, novel two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy will deliver insights into ultrafast coherent processes of the quantum structures. The understanding of the fundamental ultrafast processes will help to further improve the quantum structures and to further pave the way for their application in optical or opto-electric devices.

Our ability to observe processes and study function at the nanoscale is hindered by the compromise between temporal and spatial resolutions inherent to the majority of far-field imaging techniques. This limits our perspective on a wide range of non-equilibrium processes at the nanoscale such as chemical/catalytic reactions, ultrafast phase-transitions and biological processes at room temperature in native phase. Intense and spatially coherent femtosecond-short X-ray flashes from free-electron laser (XFEL) sources can combine high spatial and temporal resolutions through 'diffraction-before-destruction' coherent diffractive imaging (CDI) of individual nano-specimens within a single exposure. XFEL CDI studies have found surprising variety of morphologies in soot, unknown metastable shapes of metal nanoparticles and exotic states of water, which are otherwise inaccessible. PI and colleagues applied this technique to follow an ultrafast irreversible laser-superheating process with few nanometers spatial and 100 femtosecond temporal resolutions at the single nanoparticle level. Despite significant efforts, the spatial resolution of single XFEL CDI images of non-periodic specimen could not be improved beyond few nanometers. This proposal will overcome this limit by exploiting previously little explored phenomena which arise when specimen are exposed to newly available intense 500 attosecond to few femtosecond short FEL pulses. All matter exposed to intense X-rays is photo-ionised. When XFEL pulses are comparable or shorter than subsequent relaxation processes, non-linear effects such as transient resonances and resonant stimulated emission increase the brightness of images by several orders of magnitudes and significantly improve the spatial resolution. In combination with sparsity based reconstruction algorithms this proposal will push ultrafast CDI towards the single macromolecule limit and open novel avenues for photochemistry, catalysis, and material studies.

DyeAnotherWay aims at providing Doctoral Candidates with the skills necessary to lead the textile and food industries into a greener future by developing new sustainable dyeing methods exploiting bacterial genetic resources in an innovation-oriented way using cutting edge technology. The co-operation between the professional textile industry, commercial suppliers of analytical and biotechnological services, and scientists from nine Universities from ten countries addresses urgent needs in the non-academic sector and scientific hotspots in microbiology, bioeconomy and the textile and food industry simultaneously. Bacteria-based pigments, are the common research platform in combination with a broad spectrum of disciplines ranging from microbiology, chemistry, biotechnology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and bioinformatics to textile processing and market research. This will, in the near future, make a range of fully characterised biogenic dyes commercially available to the industry for use in dyeing both conventional and new textiles, allowing the industry to wean itself off petrochemical dyes in an economically viable way. The dyes will potentially find application beyond the textile and food industry, thus allowing many fields to benefit from their low carbon footprint production and their compatibility with human and environmental health. The 12 Doctoral Candidates will obtain multi- sectoral training in the relevant disciplines. In addition, training in research management, communication/presentation, creativity and entrepreneurship will provide key transferable skills for public and private sector employment, thereby maximizing the impact on the research and training on the fellows’ careers. The diversity of dissemination and communication activities guarantees the DCs' exposure to stakeholders in every sector and will help shape the future of education in this field.

MOBILESITES comprises my ‘mobility’ training programme for the next three years and my research project, entitled ‘Mobilising Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem: Representations of the Islamic Holy Sites in the Ottoman Empire’. This training programme would immensely improve my career development through a reciprocal transfer of knowledge, and this research project would provide me with time and resources to expand and amplify a chapter and certain sections of my doctoral dissertation into a scholarly book. Furthermore, the MSCA-IF-GF would help me build upon my teaching and research experience by working at outstanding institutions and with prominent supervisors. During the outgoing phase of the MSCA-IF-GF, I will spend 24 months at the University of Michigan’s (U-M) Department of History of Art under the supervision of Prof. Dr Christiane Gruber. During the incoming phase, I will spend 12 months at Universität Hamburg’s (UHH) Asien-Afrika-Institut, Geschichte und Kultur des Vorderen Orients under the supervision of Prof. Dr Stefan Heidemann. Furthermore, the Museum für Islamische Kunst in Berlin (ISL) and Prof. Dr Stefan Weber will host my intersectoral secondment during months 22–24. The three work packages (summarised in the Gantt Chart), Towards Publications (WP1), Towards Teaching (WP2), and Towards Curating (WP3), make up my distinct yet related three-year action plan. WP1 not only includes the work required for my book project but also the research and preparation for conference/symposium presentations, peer-reviewed articles, and workshops. WP2 consists of the preparations for lectures and active teaching itself, as well as improving my e-teaching, linguistic, codicological, and epigraphic skills. And finally, WP3 covers the curatorial training that I would like to gain in a museum environment and converting my research into displays and content that are accessible to a larger public.