Thesis project (BSc/MSc): How does nature break symmetry?

Thesis project (BSc/MSc): How does nature break symmetry?
Chiral crystallization & complex crystal architectures

Work Activities

Many molecules and crystals exist in two mirror-image forms (left- and right-handed). Yet in nature, and especially in living systems, often one handedness dominates. How can a system in which left and right are energetically equivalent still end up choosing a side?

Fig.1: Chiral asymmetry in nature at various scales. Source: Zang, G (2023)

In this thesis project you will study the crystallization of chiral crystals and the emergence and amplification of chirality. The work is inherently interdisciplinary: chemistry (solution conditions, additi...