Multiprecision algorithms mix different precision formats to get faster computation run-time – currently saving up to 20%. While preserving double-precision quality in the output, intermediate calculations can run on a lower precision format. In memory bound algorithms, where the data transfer volume slows down the computation, more-compact precision formats can reduce the pressure on the memory bandwidth. Hence, decoupling of the arithmetic from the memory format is essential, says Hartwig Anzt in a Let’s Talk Exascale podcast. As multiprecision algorithms are not limited to special-function units, a strong focus lies on interoperability.

The business journal CAPITAL chose YIN speaker Kathrin Valerius as one of Germany’s “Young Elite 2019” in the category science and society. Each year the honors go to the top 40 under 40 from economy, politics, science, and society. All these young talents have the potential to influence and shape the future of Germany. On November 21st, they came together at the “Young Elite Summit” in Berlin to exchange ideas beyond their usual sphere of action and set new impulses for society. Among the honorees from the previous years who spoke at the summit was Nora Szech, professor for political economy at KIT (pictured left).

Swiftly measuring and adapting the concentration of active medical substances within the body – Frank Biedermann and his team present a simple, inexpensive method for the Alzheimer medication Memantin in the journal Chemical Science. There, a molecule serves as synthetic receptor dye and “hides” in a second, barrel-shaped molecule. When the active agent displaces the dye, the latter can be determined in medically relevant concentrations in the blood serum outside the barrel molecule. The scientists also issued a guideline on how to transfer the method to other medications and dyes.

When being announced 2019 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Stanley Whittingham was at the conference Advanced Lithium Batteries for Automobile Applications at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm. With him were about 380 scientists from 30 nations – among them 3 YIN members specializing in battery research: Dominic Bresser, Julia Maibach, and Roswitha Zeis. Whittingham developed the first functional lithium battery. He shares the honors for developing lithium-ion batteries with John Goodenough, who made them more powerful, and Akira Yoshino, who opened the way for commercial viability.

The 11th YIN anniversary started with a workshop on Digital Self-Marketing, followed by a working lunch with poster session. One Highlight was the YIN Lecture by YIN alumnus Bastian Rapp. Now professor at the University of Freiburg, he was recently awarded one of the prestigious Consolidator Grants of the European Research Council ERC. He spoke about Advanced Materials for Additive Manufacturing and 3D-printing in glass - for which he is particularly known since his Nature publication in 2017. An informal get-together afterwards encouraged networking.

In the second run, 532 tenure track professorships went to 57 German universities - thereof 6 to KIT. Therewith, the Federal Government and the States have assigned the 1,000 positions announced in the Early Career Research Pact which are to lead to newly established professorships for life. To accelerate the change towards a tenure track culture, KIT plans to replace about 50 full professorships becoming vacant in the next 15 years with tenure track professors. The tenure track concepts stands for more reliability, clarity, and transparency. Since 2006, KIT has set up about 15 tenure track professorships.

Reaktionen an den Grenzflächen zwischen Elektrolytflüssigkeit und Elektroden entscheiden mit über Kapazität und Lebensdauer von Lithium-Ionen-Batterien. Hier bildet sich eine Schicht, die als Elektrodenschutz wirken kann, aber auch Ladung verbraucht und zu Kapazitätsverlusten führt. "Mit schwedischen Kollegen haben wir erstmals Lösemittel und Elektrolytlösung mittels Photoelektronen-Spektroskopie untersucht und dabei die flüssige Phase über längere Zeit aufrechterhalten", so Julia Maibach. Maßgebend war der stabilisierende Umgebungsdruck des Lösemittels in Gasform.

Excellent research, dialog with society, and reliable academic careers are the main aspects with which KIT successfully asserted itself in the funding line “university of excellence” in the excellence strategy of the federal and the state governments. YIN members were actively involved with the application process and the on-site appraisal. Junior research group leaders will benefit from a KIT-wide tenure track system, from amplified participation, as well as an extended qualification, support, and cooperation program. The excellence commission chose eleven out of 19 applicant universities.

We want to bring the experience and perspective of junior researchers into the KIT-Senate and, thus, participate in shaping the future at KIT. Please, support the candidacy of junior research group leaders in the election on July 18th with your vote! As YIN members, Hartwig Anzt (l.) and Karsten Woll (r.) stand for plannable career paths and transparent communication on every level; strengthened collaboration between the large-scale research sector and the university sector; Internationalization and diversity; Work-life balance as well as the compatibility of family and career.

YIN members Hartwig Anzt (l.) and Karsten Woll (r.) are part of the newly elected Convention for academic and scientific employees at KIT. As a representative organ, the Conventions bundles opinions and concerns, seeks dialog with the management at KIT, and makes recommendations. YIN acknowledges the Steinbuch Centre for Computing and the Institute for Applied Materials for trusting junior research group leaders to represent them in the Convention. They will also speak for the minority of young investigators at KIT working on temporary contracts.

Perowskit-Tandem-Solarzellen versprechen effiziente Wirkungsgrade oberhalb von 35 Prozent. Dies entspricht einem Anstieg um 10 Prozent gegenüber marktüblichen Silizium-Solarzellen. Die größte Herausforderung besteht darin, metallorganische Perowskit-Materialien mit passgenauem Absorptionsspektrum herzustellen: Ulrich W. Paetzold und sein Team entwickelten nun eine neuartige Kombination aus 2D- und 3D-Perowskit-Materialien mit stark gesteigerte Photospannung und einen Rekord-Wirkungsgrad im gewünschten Spektralbereich. Sie berichten im Fachmagazin Advaned Energy Materials.

Quantencomputer rechnen parallel und können große Datenmengen effizient verarbeiten. Ihre Informations- träger, die Qubits, nehmen nicht nur die Werte „0“ und „1“ an, sondern auch Überlagerungszustände dazwischen. Je mehr Qubites im Einsatz sind, desto schwieriger ist es, solche Quantenzustände aufrechtzuerhalten. Ein Forscherteam um Nachwuchsgruppenleiter Ioan Pop hat nun erstmals supraleitendes granulares Aluminium eingesetzt und eine damit Kohärenzzeit von bis zu 30 Mikrosekunden erreicht. Sie berichten in der Fachzeitschrift

100 Million euro initial third-party funding, 4,000 weekly teaching hours per semester, and 2,800 peer-reviewed articles – the 10-year statistic speaks for itself. The jubilee edition of the annual magazine YIN Insight further presents the hot topic “The what and why of young investigator programs” with interviews of six funding agencies. The scientific highlights include a recent ERC starting grant, the inauguration of the KATRIN neutrino experiment, and the excellence cluster POLiS. The YIN grants showcase exciting collabo- rations within the network.

Frank Biedermann and Ulrich Paetzold each run a collaborative project supported by the Heidelberg Karlsruhe Strategic Partnership (HEiKA). Frank Biedermann and Prof. Thomas Kuner plan to apply artificial neurotransmitter receptors  for the monitoring of dopamine levels in neuronal tissues as well as in prefrontal cortex and basal nuclei of intact mice. Ulrich Paetzold and JProf. Yana Vaynzof aim to utilize the inkjet printing deposition method for fabrication of high yield and high performance perovskite solar cells. Since 2013, YIN members have been involved in 11 HEiKA projects.

"Negotiating with Confidence", "Challenging Leadership Situations", and "Mastering Conflicts" are three new topics addressed by the YIN continuing education program 2019 - now online. Scheduled are also well-established workshops like "Leadership Excellence" or "Appointment Procedures". YIN continuing education is specially tailored for early-stage academic leaders including leadership skills, project and personnel management, as well as personal development. Small sized groups and expert consultants stand for the high quality of the program.