Poster Award for DWI Doctoral Researcher at the European Soft Matter Symposium in Ghent

At the Macromolecular Chemistry and Soft Matter Connects Symposium, held on 18–19 December 2025 in Ghent (Belgium), Arjuna Selvakumar, a doctoral researcher in the group of Prof. Andreas Herrmann, received a Poster Award. The distinction recognizes the high scientific quality and international visibility of the research conducted at the DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials.

Arjuna Selvakumar presented the poster “DNA as a Programmable Platform for Polymer Mechanochemistry.” It showcased results from the recent publication Sequence-specific, mechanophore-free mechanochemistry of DNA (DOI: 10.1016/j.chempr.2024.11.014) as well as new findings from a recently accepted manuscript on DNA-mediated force transmission. The international research community showed particular interest in the possibility of precisely identifying mechanochemical fracture patterns using advanced analytical methods.

The symposium is part of a trilateral initiative launched in 2024 by the sites in Aachen, Ghent, and Eindhoven, with its inaugural event hosted at the DWI in Aachen. The initiative aims to sustainably strengthen cross-border exchange in the fields of macromolecular chemistry and soft matter, with a particular focus on early international networking for early-career researchers. Thematically, the series addresses future-oriented topics related to interactive materials, mechanochemistry, and sustainable polymer systems.

The award highlights the importance of this conference for the Aachen research hub: it showcases excellent early-career research, strengthens international collaborations, and positions the DWI as an active contributor to a European research platform for innovative materials.