Dr. Robert Göstl

Robert Göstl’s overarching research interest is to converge tailor-made responsive small molecules with macromolecules to exploit their intricate functionality on a material level. This, on the one hand, is interesting to gain access to materials with unprecedented properties, but more importantly is mandatory to understand the relationship of the molecular and macroscopic structure of materials in greater detail. The comprehension of how the remarkable properties of matter emerge from complex correlations of their atomic constituents and how they can be controlled is among the grand scientific challenges formulated by leading science institutions around the world. Robert Göstl’s goal is to tackle this endeavor in a multidisciplinary approach, which is reflected in his group’s composition. Originally educated in synthetic organic chemistry, he recognized that knowledge in materials chemistry and physics is also necessary to holistically describe complex material systems.