News

HZDR part of molecular water science consortium

Centre for Molecular Water Science inaugurated in Hamburg

With an inaugural ceremony on 26 February on the DESY Campus in Hamburg, the Centre for Molecular Water Science (CMWS) Consortium was formed. The CMWS is a Europe-wide research network in the field of molecular water research, crossing subjects, disciplines, and methods. The HZDR signed the CMWS Declaration already in 2024 and is joined by forty-six other founding members from twelve countries in the CMWS Consortium. At the HZDR, scientists from two institutes, the Institute for Resource Ecology and the Center for Advanced Systems Understanding CASUS, will contribute to the research efforts.

The Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) is a research centre of the Helmholtz Association with its two main locations in Hamburg and Zeuthen. Research at DESY focuses on four areas: accelerators, photon science, particle physics and astroparticle physics. A central part of the scientific activities at the CMWS will take place in a planned new research building on the Hamburg Campus. But as the diverse consortium shows, interdisciplinary cooperation with other institutions will be essential for the success of the CMWS.

“At the CMWS, experts from different disciplines work closely together to investigate the special characteristics of water. Through that knowledge insights will be possible into water-driven technologies that are more sustainable and that can contribute to reaching environmental, energy, health, and climate goals,” says Britta Redlich, DESY director for photon science. She also added, that the CMWS was a sterling application for DESY’s planned X-ray source PETRA IV, a 4D X-ray microscope for physical, chemical, and biological processes: “With its outstanding coherence, PETRA IV will offer unique opportunities to investigate and understand water and its interactions at the molecular level.”

Additional information:

Prof. Thomas D. Kühne

Institute Director
CASUS Research Team Leader

t.kuehne@hzdr.de

Media contact:

Dr. Martin Laqua

Officer Communications, Press and Public Relations Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS) at HZDR

m.laqua@hzdr.de

Artistic representation of water molecules. Source: Rankin Identity/DESY

As one of the Founding Members, the HZDR had signed the CMWS Declaration already in mid-2024. At the HZDR, the groups of Prof. Thomas D. Kühne (Theory of Complex Systems department at CASUS) and Prof. Karim Fahmy (Biophysics department of the Institute for Resource Ecology) are active in molecular water research. Kühne’s focus is on studying aqueous systems such as water interfaces, water in confined geometries, biological relevant reactions in aqueous solution and the heterogenous “on-water” catalysis. Fahmy is interested in the little understood role of water in biomolecular assemblies at the nanoscale where biomolecule hydration has functional implications for condensates, membrane proteins and DNA supramolecular structures.

Otmar Wiestler, President of Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, congratulated the CMWS on its inauguration in a video address. “Water is the foundation of life and a vital element in addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time. CMWS is well aligned to the Helmholtz Mission: addressing major challenges of our time through interdisciplinary, long term cutting-edge research in order to contribute to solutions.”