Roberta Angelini studied physics at the University of L’Aquila, Italy and she got her PhD at Université J. Fourier, Grenoble, France with an experimental thesis developed at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in the Inelastic X-ray Scattering group. After two years postdoc at Sapienza University of Rome, she become researcher. Barbara Ruzicka studied physics at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, where she also received her PhD. She did a first postdoctoral period at Daresbury synchrotron, UK, and a second one at Zurich ETH in Switzerland. They are actually researchers of the Institute of Complex Systems (ISC) of Centre of National Research (CNR) in Rome where they are respectively responsible of the “Soft Matter Laboratory: Rheology and Calorimetry” and of the “Soft Matter Laboratory: Light Scattering” The Experimental Soft Matter group of ISC-CNR focuses on the study of the structure and dynamics of soft matter systems, of their phase transitions and phase diagrams. In particular, it deals with the investigation of equilibrium and non-equilibrium states as liquid, gel, glass and jammed states, and unusual phase diagrams in soft materials, such as charge colloidal clays and colloidal microgels. The use of conventional laboratory techniques is complemented with X-rays and neutron scattering in Large Scale Facilities.

Professor Tommy Nylander, Physical Chemistry, Dept. of Chemistry, Lund University, Sweden. Professor Nylander completed his PhD in Biophysical Technology at Lund University and did a postdoc at Applied Mathematics, ANU, Australia. The main theme of his scientific activity has been to relate interfacial behaviour of surface-active molecule to their solution behaviour. The focus has been on molecules of biological origin, e.g. proteins and lipids, and the self-assembled structures they form in bulk and at interfaces, which are studied using interfacial techniques such as ellipsometry, surface film balance, QCM-D and neutron reflectometry as well as with bulk scattering techniques. Professor Adrian Rennie, Department of Chemistry and Centre for Neutron Scattering, Uppsala University, has been studying soft matter for many years working with polymers, colloids and interfaces.  Relating properties to structure in these materials has involved extensive use of X-ray and neutron techniques as well as laboratory experiments. Uppsala University and Lund University have jointly joined PSCM as collaborative partner organisations. Their Departments of Chemistry has a long experience of working together to adress challenges in soft condensed matter by using a range of neutron and x-ray techniques. This involves not only solving scientific problems, but also to develop and build up sample environment as well as modelling tools. The joint experience of these two institution bring a clear added-value to the PSCM and to the soft condensed matter user community as a whole. Both organisations have a large community of neutron and x-ray users that frequently conduct successful experiments, in particularly in colloid and interface science as well as biophysics at both ESRF and ILL. These users benefit from a unique platform for better exploiting the complementary aspects of neutron and synchrotron techniques. A prioritiesed area is the training of early-stage researchers in the field of neutron and synchrotron techniques applied in soft matter research that will be provided the provision for onsite sample preparation through PSCM. Furthermore, the PSCM will enhance on a national and international level their visibility in the soft matter field.

Co-proposer : Tim Salditt   Sarah Köster studied physics at the University of Ulm, Germany, and performed PhD research work at the University of Ulm, Boston University and the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen, Germany. In 2006, she received her PhD from the University of Göttingen. After a postdoctoral period at Harvard University, USA, she returned to Göttingen, where she leads the group “Cellular Biophysics” at the Institute for X-Ray Physics. She is a full professor since 2017 and received an ERC Consolidator Grant in 2016. The research work of the Köster group is centered around understanding the relation between molecular architecture of cytoskeletal elements, mesoscale structure formation and cellular mechanics, dynamics and function. The main goal of the PSCM partnership is the further development of innovative x-ray based imaging methods for cells, including state-of-the art sample environments based on microfluidic techniques.  Copyright of the photo : Öffentlichkeitsarbeit Universität Göttingen / Klein und Neumann, Iserlohn

Oriano Francescangeli received his degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Ancona in 1984. In 1988 he joined the University of Ancona as an assistant professor and in 1999 was appointed associate professor of experimental physics. Since 2011 he is full professor of experimental physics at the Polytechnic University of Marche (UnivPM), Italy. He is currently Scientific Manager of the Advanced X-ray Laboratory and Director of the SIMAU Department at the UnivPM.  The scientific interests of Francescangeli’s group span the field of condensed matter physics primarily investigated by means of X-ray and neutron scattering. After the discovery of cybotaxis in bent-core liquid crystals (LCs) in the early 2000s, his research has focused on new liquid crystalline materials for applications in information technology and biomedicine. The main purpose of the PSCM partnership is to investigate the anchoring properties of new LCs to solid substrates, with focus on the mechanisms of surface anchoring, self-assembling, space arrangement and molecular orientation when the LC layer is limited to extremely small volumes (from a few molecular layers down to a single monolayer).