The study and identification of quantum phenomena in biological systems is an interdisciplinary field that has attracted increasing attention in the past few decades but hasn't developed as robustly as needed. The main goal of this proposal is to gather experts in nanofabrication, quantum optics, single molecule biophysics, energy harvesting, physical chemistry, theoretical and experimental quantum biology to understand how quantum behavior affects bio-molecular function. This workshop will bring young and senior scientists together from different scientific disciplines. The proposal will explore questions such as measurements of quantum coherence about quantum dynamics in photosynthetic processes, impact of molecular environment on the preservation of quantum coherence for the function of such systems, engineering electro-optical devices beyond the current state of the art, realization of bio-inspired devices or algorithms to exploit quantum dynamics phenomenon and the use of synthetic biology methods to modify biomolecular systems to improve their quantum performance. This workshop will foster increased partnership between academia and industry and will aid in the development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM workforce.
This workshop is funded by the Molecular Biophysics Program in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences in the Biological Sciences Directorate
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
