The University of Queensland is the first Australian university to become a branch member of the International Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter (I2CAM) an innovative US-based research institute.
UQ’s membership gives I2CAM a total of 31 branches and three affiliates, linking together 52 institutions in the United States, Europe, Japan, Israel and Australia.
Head of UQ’s Condensed Matter Theory Group, Professor Ross McKenzie, said I2CAM branch membership would give UQ researchers access to cutting-edge workshops, symposia, and international research networks. I2CAM is one of five International Materials Institutes, funded by the US National Science Foundation.
"I2CAM hosts a multi-campus, multi-disciplinary research program based at the University of California and membership provides significant research and educational opportunities for UQ’s senior and junior scientists,"Professor McKenzie said.
“Senior scientists receive support to initiate or expand collaborations with their branch member colleagues while junior researchers receive support to attend workshops and summer schools and to visit and develop collaborations at leading laboratories."
He said an example of this funding and support was the recent I2CAM Exploratory Workshop entitled “Quantum Dynamics and Biomolecular Function”, which was held in Yeppoon in April.
The scope of the workshop was to understand issues relating to quantum dynamics and biomolecular function which relates to fundamental scientific questions concerning the emergent properties of complex quantum systems, decoherence, and the quantum-classical crossover.
These issues are also of relevance to drug design, molecular basis of diseases, and development of nanoscale devices such as photovoltaic cells and light emitting diodes.
Additionally I2CAM has granted a UQ Condensed Matter Physics Group member, Dr Eddy Yusuf, a travel grant to permit Dr Yusuf to visit the US to collaborate with researchers at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Florida.
"I2CAM can also facilitate the assembly of a critical mass of researchers to attack interesting interdisciplinary problems that would be difficult to approach successfully at one or two isolated institutions," said Professor McKenzie.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor David Siddle, said UQ would in turn make a great contribution to I2CAM.
"UQ’s work on emergent behaviour in matter will bring great strength to I2CAM and the University’s membership will broaden the base for international consortia," Professor Siddle said.
"I2CAM is also committed to building bridges between disciplines such as materials science and condensed matter physics and the biological and physical sciences and UQ, as world leaders in these areas, can make a significant contribution."
Professor Siddle said I2CAM was committed to public outreach and education and UQ could also lend assistance with the ambitious program of museum exhibits, films, campus activities and writing projects.
Stanford, Princeton, Tokyo and ETH-Zurich are just some of the other universities with I2CAM branch membership.
Media inquiries: Sarah Brownfield, Condensed Matter Physics Group (07 33652816).
