COMMONS KICK-OFF January 22-23, 2024. Kemicentrum, Lund 

COMMONS is a Center of Excellence funded by the Swedish Research Council, with the theme "Commonalities in biomembrane and biomolecular interactions”. The overarching aim of COMMONS is to provide a multifaceted scientific environment focusing on unifying physicochemical processes of key importance for the function of cellular membranes and biomolecules. The COMMONS Center brings together methodological and theoretical expertise from Lund University, Chalmers and Copenhagen University, and will serve as host for a Graduate School and a Visiting Professor program to attract experts from a broad field of biomembrane and biomolecular sciences. 

January 22, Opening of the COMMONS Center (Lecture hall KC:B) 

• 14.15 Welcome & Opening of the Center Mattias Marklund (Secretary head natural and engineering sciences, the Swedish Research council) Emma Sparr (Lund University) 
• 14.35 Commonalities in biomolecular interactions Lennart Lindfors (Astra Zeneca) Big Molecules and Small Particles Toumas Knowles (Cambridge University, UK) Title to be announced 
• 15.25 Coffee break 
• 15.55 Memorable experiments and scientific insights Fredrik Höök, Sara Linse, Martin Malmsten, Emma Sparr, Håkan Wennerström 
• 16.45 Interdisciplinary scientific communication Khashayar Naderehvandi (Writer, Editor and PhD in Artistic Practice) Göran Dahlberg (Editor and Writer) Julia Ravanis (Writer, Editor and PhD candidate in History of Technology) 
• 17- Mingle

January 23. COMMONS Start-up meeing (Lecture hall KC:B) 

• 9.00 Four COMMONS PI’s raises some scien2fic ques2ons and challenges that might benefit from being addressed within the COMMONS network Panel discussion? 
• 10.00 Coffee break 
• 10.30 Academic Forum and essayis2c wri2ngs (Fredrik Höök, Daniel Midtvedt, Julia Ravanis) 
• 11.00 COMMONS ac2vi2es. Presenta2ons and group discussions 
• 12.00 Lunch break 
• 13-15 COMMONS PI’s: Planning and organiza2on of the Center (KC:L) 
• 13-15 All others: Lab tour

A COMMONS seminar by Postdoctoral researcher Nicole Galenkamp, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.

Title: Biological nanopores for biosensing and single-molecule enzymology

15 February 2024 11:15 till 12:00 

A Physical Chemistry seminar by Postdoc Fabrizio Camerin, Physical Chemistry, Lund University.

Title: Colloidal molecules with controlled valence (and flexibility)

Docent Lecture: Hanna Wacklin-Knecht

21 February 2024 14:15 till 15:00 

Docent Lecture

Dr. Hanna Wacklin-Knecht, Physical Chemistry, Lund University will give a so-called Docent Lecture. 

Title: The role of colloidal self-assembly in the origins of life

Self-assembly of simple amphiphilic molecules such as fatty acids and alcohols is thought to have been crucial for the development of early life on earth by providing micro-compartments in which nucleic acid elongation reactions could occur. In this talk I will explore the colloidal chemistry and role of vesicular self-assembly in the creation of the first protocells, and how this led the way to the development of simple cells that we could identify as living, self-replicating organisms.

27 February 2024 14:15 

A Physical Chemistry seminar by Professor Alex Evilevitch, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University. This is part of the seminar series: Scattering from Soft Matter, organized jointly by the Center For Scattering Methods, MAX IV and ESS.

Title: Temperature-induced DNA density transition in phage lambda capsid revealed with contrast-matching SANS

11 March 2024 14:15 till 15:00 

COMMONS seminar

A COMMONS seminar by Professor Dr. Wei-Feng Xue, University of Kent, United Kingdom
Title: Integrative structural biology - linking cryo-EM and AFM
KC:Marie Curie (LU) or zoom https://lu-se.zoom.us/j/61011549893

19 mars 2024 11:00 till 12:00 

COMMONS CHALLENGE: COOPERATIVITY
Speakers: Sara Linse (LU) & Mikael Lund (LU)
IRL locations: Lund KC:B, Göteborg (TBA), Copenhagen (TBA).

19 mars 2024 14.15-16.00

COMMONS Challenge

NUCLEATION
Alex Büll (DTU) & Ulf Olsson (LU)
IRL locations: Lund KC:A, Göteborg (TBA), Copenhagen (TBA)
22 April 2024, 13:15-15.00

The COMMONS Excellence Center is initiating an Academic Forum with 
the ambition to not only disseminate the research frontiers to the 
general public, but to also bridge the natural science in focus with 
social sciences and humanities. The Academic Forum is organized in 
cooperation with the cultural magazine Glänta.
We invite you to the first public events of the Academic Forum, taking 
place on May 6 at Kemicentrum in Lund.
The program includes open *inspiration lectures on essayist writing in
academia* (lecture hall KC:F):
9.30 Intro
10.00 Julia Ravanis (Glänta, Chalmers) on (popular science) writing
10.45 Break
11.00 Khashayar Naderehvandi (Glänta) on (literary) writing
During the evening, we organize an *evening lecture* (lecture hall KC:B):
19.00 David Dunér (LU): “Historical perspectives on the concept of life”
19.45 Discussions and mingle
Thematically, this lecture coincides with Glänta’s upcoming journal 
issue on life, published in cooperation with COMMONS.
*Julia Ravanis* is author of popular science books ("Skönheten i Kaos"),
part of the Glänta editorial team, and is currently PhD researcher in
technology history at Chalmers.
*Khashayar Naderehvandi* is author and poet, and part of the Glänta
editorial team.
*David Dunér* is professor in history of science and ideas at the
Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences at Lund University.

6 May 2024, 9:30-19:45

A Physical Chemistry seminar by Professor Jan Dhont, Research Center Jülich, Germany

Title: Temperature-Induced Migration of Uncharged Interacting Macromolecules

13 May 2024 14:15 till 15:00 

Physical Chemistry half-time seminar

A Physical Chemistry half-time seminar by PhD INikol Labecka , Physical Chemistry, Lund University.
Title: Non-equilibrium behaviour of lipids at water-air interface
20 May 2024 14:15 till 15:00

A Physical Chemistry seminar by Professor Jan Skov Pedersen, Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University. - This is part of the seminar series: Scattering from Soft Matter, organized jointly by the Center For Scattering Methods, MAX IV and ESS

Title: When proteins meet surfactants - What SAXS can tell us

24 May 2024, 14:15-15:00

A Physical Chemistry seminar by Postdoc Jon Pallbo Arvidsson, Physical Chemistry, Lund University.

Titel: Slipperiness at ice-polymer interfaces studied by resonance shear measurements

3 June 2024, 14:15-15:00

A joint Physical Chemistry/COMMONS seminar by Associate Professor Jannette Carey, Princeton University, USA

Title: Allostery - Monod’s second secret of life
An historical view of Monod's famous model will be used to introduce its basic principles; to connect them with modern understanding of protein dynamics and thermodynamics; and to frame contemporary examples.

23 August 2024 14:15 till 15:00 

A Physical Chemistry seminar by Docent Stefan Wennmalm, SciLifeLab, Royal Institute of Technology-KTH, Stockholm.

Title: FCS and super-resolution techniques available at Scilifelab in Stockholm

27 August 2024 14:15 till 15:00 

A Physical Chemistry seminar by Associate Dean Gary Bryant, RMIT University Stockholm, Australia.

Title: Deep Eutectic Solvents as Novel Cryoprotective Agents

28 August 2024, 10:15-11:00

Docent lecture

Dr. Andrea Scotti, Physical Chemistry, Lund University will give a so-called Docent Lecture. 

Title: Mechanics and rheology of fire ants

Abstract: Active matter systems are ubiquitous in nature, from tissues to flocks of birds, from schools of fish to colonies of bacteria. They are composed of living particles that convert chemical energy into kinetic energy and are, therefore, out of equilibrium. In contrast to synthetic active matter, natural active matter systems can be studied at high densities. Here, I will describe the physical rules governing the mechanical and rheological properties of fire ants, e.g. the capability to form towers, assemble into rafts, and move under confinements.  

28 August 2024 14:15 till 15:00 

A joint Physical Chemistry/COMMONS seminar by Postdoc Erik Olsén, University of British Columbia, Canada.

Title: Shining new light on the heterogeneity and dynamics of individual biological nanoparticles in biological environments

18 September 2024 14:15 till 15:00 

A Physical Chemistry seminar by Dr Alison Paul, Soft Matter Research Group, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University

Title: Structure and dynamics of polymers in metal organic frameworks (MOFs): Neutrons, NMR and not quite all the answer.

19 September 2024 14:15 till 15:00 

PhD Summer School Nanotools at Biomembranes

7-12 November 2024

KILU seminar Björn Lindman: The Lyklema prize and reflections on our colloid science history

Title: The Lyklema prize and reflections on our colloid science history
18 November, 13:15-14:00

A Physical Chemistry seminar by Researcher Tom Arnold, European Spallation Source (ESS), Lund.

Title: Using reflectometry to study SMALP nanodiscs and some lessons learned on the way

21 November, 2024, 2:15 pm