Vision of the LL&M department
... is to establish the University of Rostock as an internationally recognized research hub for Atomic and Molecular Scale Sensing. Building on our core research areas—Light on Matter, Matter at the Nanoscale, and Cells in Contact—we develop innovative methods to analyze, understand, and harness materials and biological systems at the atomic and molecular scale. In doing so, we create the scientific foundations for the technologies of the future.
Background
The Life, Light & Matter (LL&M) Department was established by the University of Rostock in 2007 to strengthen collaboration across the natural sciences, engineering, and life sciences. Its mission is to foster interdisciplinary research at the interfaces of materials, light, and biological systems by bringing together expertise from different faculties and research disciplines.
LL&M is one of the four departments of the Interdisciplinary Faculty (INF). Together with the departments Maritime Systems (MTS), Ageing of Individuals and Society (AGIS), and Knowledge – Culture – Transformation (WKT), it provides a framework for addressing complex scientific challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration and for developing innovative research fields across traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Today, the department brings together researchers from the University of Rostock as well as from leading non-university research institutions. This broad scientific network provides an excellent foundation for interdisciplinary research, strategic collaborations, and the development of joint research initiatives.
A particular focus of LL&M is the promotion of early-career researchers. Through its interdisciplinary graduate network, doctoral researchers and postdoctoral scientists benefit from close scientific exchange, interdisciplinary training, and access to state-of-the-art research infrastructures. Regular scientific meetings provide opportunities to present research, exchange ideas, and establish collaborations across disciplines.
Objectives
The Life, Light & Matter (LL&M) Department aims to establish the University of Rostock as an internationally recognized centre for Atomic and Molecular Scale Sensing. Its research focuses on understanding, analysing, and harnessing materials, biological systems, and their interactions at the atomic and molecular scale.
LL&M combines expertise in materials science, nanoscience, photonics, biophysics, biomedical implant technologies, and related disciplines. Building on its three core research areas—Light on Matter, Matter at the Nanoscale, and Cells in Contact—the department develops innovative experimental and analytical approaches to investigate fundamental processes across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Advanced imaging technologies, high-resolution analytical methods, data-driven approaches, and AI-assisted analysis play an increasingly important role in this research.
The department's scientific activities are supported by a unique research infrastructure, including the Life, Light & Matter Research Building, its interdisciplinary competence centres for calorimetry, surface and interface analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, microscopy and spectroscopy, additional large-scale research equipment, and the statewide electron microscopy platform ELMI-MV. Together, these facilities provide researchers from different disciplines with access to cutting-edge technologies and create an outstanding environment for collaborative research.
By combining scientific excellence with state-of-the-art research infrastructure and interdisciplinary collaboration, LL&M serves as a platform for national and international research consortia and contributes to the development of future technologies in the fields of healthcare, medical engineering, advanced materials, energy, and environmental sciences.
