Röhr group at STC 2026 in Graz

From 14 to 18 September, Merle Röhr and Michael Bühler attended the 62nd Symposium on Theoretical Chemistry (STC 2026) in Graz, Austria. The STC is the annual meeting of the theoretical chemistry community in the German-speaking countries and was hosted this year by Daniel Boese and Johannes Hoja.

In her talk Topological Photophysics in Molecular Aggregates, Merle took up a question that is central to our current work: can the packing of molecules in an aggregate give rise to topological excitations? And if so, could this become a new handle to control and steer the photophysics of molecular materials?

Michael presented a poster on BN-containing molecular solar thermal (MOST) systems, which store solar energy in chemical bonds and release it on demand as heat. His work investigates how boron–nitrogen substitution influences the photoisomerisation pathways of these compounds and builds on his recent study on BN-doped naphthalene published in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. The project is part of the CRC 1762.

Graz showed itself from its sunny side, and between sessions there was time for a break at Frankowitsch, the city's legendary deli, where a glass of wine and their famous open sandwiches made the perfect companion to the scientific discussions.

Many thanks to the organisers for an excellent meeting and to everyone who stopped by for discussions.