GRK 2950:  Synthetic Molecular Communication Across Different Scales: From Theory to Experiments

• Subject Area: Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 509922606

Over the past decade, Molecular Communications (MC) has emerged as a new research area in Communications. The main idea behind MC is to exploit molecules as information carriers, as is done in many natural communication processes including inter- and intracellular communication, synaptic communication, quorum sensing, and insect communication, to communicate in environments and with objects/organisms that are not suitable for conventional electromagnetic wave based communication systems. Synthetic MC systems are expected to enable new disruptive medical, environmental, and industrial applications. The objective of the proposed research training group "Synthetic Molecular Communication Across Different Scales: From Theory to Experiments (SyMoCADS)" is to establish the first structured doctoral training program on MC worldwide and to equip the participating doctoral students with the knowledge and skill set needed to advance this emerging interdisciplinary field of research. To this end, a multi-facetted research and qualification program will be established. To balance the inherent heterogeneity of the overall topic and the need for close interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle MC research problems, the doctoral research projects are organized in three clusters (C1-C3): C1: MC based design, monitoring, and control of bioprocesses; C2: MC based modelling, analysis, and design of magnetic nanoparticle steering systems; C3: Models, designs, and system architectures for airborne MC. Each cluster investigates an important and challenging overarching research problem, whose conceptual, communication-theoretical, and experimental aspects are tackled synergistically in three doctoral projects. This promotes close interdisciplinary collaboration between the doctoral students within each cluster, which constitutes a vital part of their training. The different clusters reflect the heterogeneity of MC in terms of length scales, particle transport mechanisms, propagation environments, communication tasks, experimental techniques, and application domains. This provides the opportunity to investigate the implications of these differences for MC analysis, modelling, and simulation techniques as well as for the embedding of information into molecular signals. The conceptual and methodical support needed for addressing these cross-cluster research questions, exploiting cross-cluster synergies, and fostering cross-cluster collaboration will be provided by a postdoctoral project. SyMoCADS is led by an interdisciplinary team of researchers who were carefully selected to foster fundamental theoretical and experimental contributions to each of the three cluster topics and the general field of MC.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr.-Ing. Robert Schober
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr. Christoph Alexiou; Professorin Dr. Andrea Büttner; Professorin Dr. Kathrin Castiglione; Professor Dr.-Ing. Dietmar Drummer; Professor Dr.-Ing. Georg Fischer; Professor Dr.-Ing. Vahid Jamali; Dr. Jens Kirchner; Dr. Helene Loos; Professor Dr. Heinrich Sticht