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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)

@istaresearch.bsky.social
1.2K followers 445 following 525 posts

The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) is dedicated to cutting-edge basic research and graduate education. www.ista.ac.at

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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
New publication by the Pieber group at ISTA—Aleksander Bena, Trisha Banik, Christos Giannoudis, Florian Ortis, Haralds Baunis, and Gayathri Palissery—in collaboration with Daniel Bím at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague just published in Nature Catalysis.
📸 Bartholomäus Pieber (left) and Aleksander Bena (right) discuss molecular designs of new catalysts. © ISTA
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Do bacteria have sex? ISTA scientists @pavelpayne.bsky.social and Călin Guet have uncovered a process resembling sexual reproduction that occurs when the gut bacterium E. coli is close to starvation. Read more: ista.ac.at/en/news/bact...
ista.ac.at
Bacterial Immunity—or a Form of Sex?
How do bacteria adapt when resources run low? ISTA researchers have found that, under starvation stress, E. coli can use bacteriophages and CRISPR-Cas immunity to transfer and incorporate DNA, acceler...
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Double success for ISTA at the Lower Austrian Science Awards: Johann Danzl received the Honorary Award for research including expansion microscopy of brain tissue, while Maria Ibáñez received a Recognition Award for 3D-printed thermoelectric materials. Congrats! 👏 🔗 bit.ly/4rMYlQ0
📸 ©️ Klaus Ranger
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
We are delighted to welcome three new professors to our growing Institute. Simone Fatichi joins us as Professor from the National University of Singapore​, while Carla Fernández-Rico arrives from ETH Zürich​ and Friedrich Stricker from Harvard University​, both as Assistant Professors.
From left to right: Simone Fatichi, Carla Fernández-Rico, and Friedrich Stricker. © ISTA
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
New bioRxiv preprint by PhD student Maciej Kania, alum Basile Confavreux & Professor Tim Vogels: "Ingrams for engrams: co-active inhibitory-inhibitory plasticity shapes inhibitory assemblies that stabilize and recall embedded engrams through disinhibition" doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.15.751748
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Do you see this amazing crowd? As we kick off the second edition of Postdoc Appreciation Week Austria​ (PAW), we are putting our postdocs exactly where they belong: in the spotlight. ✨ Explore this year’s PAW program and register for events here: bit.ly/4c6Mrdd
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Assistant Professor @jpkbravo.bsky.social​ summarizes findings indicating a viral origin for RNA-guided immunity. The evidence suggests ancient viral warfare could be at the root of modern class 1 CRISPR bacterial defense systems. Commentary in @science.org​: doi.org/10.1126/science.ael0758
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Science & tech journalists: come explore research up close! Join ISTA’s 2027 Journalist in Residence program near Vienna, Austria. Duration: 3–6 months Apply by 1 Nov 2026: www.ista.ac.at/en/institute/residen… #ScienceJournalism
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Say hello to our new PhD cohort! 🥳 We’re so excited to have you here. Welcome to ISTA! #PhDjourney #PhDlife #StudentLife #PhDstudent #GradSchool #ResearchLife #AcademicYear #NewBeginnings #ISTAresearch
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This September, Monica Vișan joins ISTA from @uclaupdates.bsky.social​ as Professor and Vivian Kuperberg and Yuval Wigderson join from @ethz.ch​ as Assistant Professors. Read more: bit.ly/4xmYlai #NewFaculty #Mathematics #PrimeNumbers #Waves #DiscreteSystems #ISTAresearch
📸 Left to right: Professor Monica Vișan with assistant professors Yuval Wigderson and Vivian Kuperberg. © ISTA
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Inspiring days at the Atomic Quantum Matter Conference at ISTA! The event brought together 175 theorists and experimentalists to discuss the current frontier of complex quantum systems and explore what these capabilities might make possible in the future. @lmu.de​
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Reposted by Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
Jean-Yves Desaules @jdesaules.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Happy to see our work on superdiffusive energy transport in lattice gauge theories finally be published. journals.aps.org/prb/abstract... Thanks to all collaborators at ICTP and TUM, and to @istaresearch.bsky.social for the support!
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Congrats to @andreastoellner.bsky.social​ for defending her PhD thesis! 🎓 👏 By levitating individual aerosol particles with a laser and continuously measuring their electric charge, she has gained fundamental insights into how these particles behave in the atmosphere.
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
New publication "One-milligram torsional pendulum toward experiments at the quantum-gravity interface" by ISTA PhD student Sofia Agafonova, ISTA assistant professor Onur Hosten, and collaborators made it to the homepage cover of @commsphys.nature.com​​​. 🤩 www.nature.com/commsphys
Screenshot taken on September 10, 2026, from the Communications Physics landing page: https://www.nature.com/commsphys/
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
New interdisciplinary paper in Science Advances by the Sixt group and the @ehannezo.bsky.social group at ISTA and the @crick.ac.uk explored how the physical environment around tumor cells may influence their behavior. @science.org
Interdisciplinary research team at ISTA. Clockwise starting in the back left corner: Jack Merrin, Juraj Májek, Michael Sixt, Edouard Hannezo, Zuzana Dunajová & Saren Tasciyan. © ISTA
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Congrats to ISTA Assistant Professor Charles Roques-Carmes, named to MIT Technology Review’s “Innovators Under 35”! 🎉 His nanophotonic research could make X-ray imaging sharper and more sensitive. Well deserved, Charles! Read more: bit.ly/4gYNe1m #InnovatorsUnder35
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Join AI researcher Klaus-Robert Müller for the ÖAW–ISTA Lecture on September 22 on the opportunities, limitations and interpretability of modern machine-learning methods. The ÖAW-ISTA Lecture in Vienna is a joint initiative of the @oeaw.bsky.social​​​​ and ISTA. Register: bit.ly/4xc6dwm
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Österreichischer Wissenschaftsfonds FWF @fwf-at.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
#Keratin gibt tierischem u. menschlichem Gewebe Stabilität. Forschende @istaresearch.bsky.social zeigten, dass das Protein bereits in der Embryonalphase eine Rolle bei Gewebebewegungen spielt. Für ihre Forschung beobachteten sie Embryonen von Zebrafischen. #scilog 🧫 scilog.fwf.ac.at/magazin/wie-...
scilog.fwf.ac.at
Wie Keratin neuem Leben Halt gibt
Als zellulärer Strukturbaustoff gibt Keratin tierischem und menschlichem Gewebe Stabilität. Forschende am Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) in Klosterneuburg konnten zeigen, dass das ...
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
With projects on AI, astrophysics, bacterial immune systems, quantum matter, and optics, five ISTA researchers have secured €9.2 million in highly selective Starting Grants from the ERC @erc.europa.eu​. Read: ista.ac.at/en/news/e9-2-million-in-…
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Congratulations to ISTA’s @jpkbravo.bsky.social​, named a 2026 Vallee Scholar! 🎉 The award supports innovative, curiosity-driven biomedical research. Bravo’s lab studies bacterial immune systems and how they distinguish self from non-self. Read more: shorturl.at/FyLbw
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Congrats to Maria Ibáñez @groupibanez.bsky.social​ & Scott Waitukaitis on their promotions to Professors at ISTA! Maria advances thermoelectric materials, while Scott studies the electrical behavior of materials. Both are award-winning scientists and dedicated mentors shaping ISTA’s community.
📸 Maria Ibáñez ©️ Anna Stöcher
📸 Scott Waitukaitis ©️ Nadine Poncioni
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Looking for a fellowship that gives you the freedom to tackle high-risk concepts? The NOMIS-ISTA Fellowship Program offers 3-year, fully funded postdoctoral positions to pursue bold research at the intersection of two or more scientific disciplines. Learn more and apply 👉 bit.ly/49ivtnW
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Join us at the Young Scientist Symposium to explore how complex systems sense, adapt, decide, and evolve. This year’s edition is bringing together young scientists & leading experts in cognitive science, biology, and AI. Register now 👉 yss.pages.ista.ac.at
📸 Technology Network © Canva
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
ISTA Professor Monika Henzinger has received a major distinction as the 2027 recipient of the Royal Society Milner Award and Lecture. The prize recognizes her pioneering contributions to computer science and lasting impact across academia and industry. ista.ac.at/en/news/moni... @royalsociety.org
📸 Monika Henzinger ©️ Peter Rigaud | ISTA
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Want to push the frontiers of science? The ISTA-Fellow program offers fully funded (2-year) postdoctoral fellowships for candidates who have completed, or will soon complete, their PhD in the natural or computer sciences, mathematics, or any related discipline. Apply now 👉 bit.ly/3TTWjNj
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Sand may seem simple, but it is one of nature’s trickiest materials to model. Real sand grains are irregular and varied. Modeling every bump and edge and calculating how they would all interact would quickly overwhelm even powerful computers. Read more: ista.ac.at/en/news/digi...
ista.ac.at
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
From PhD student at ISTA to Launch Chief Editor of the new journal Nature Reviews Computing: Congratulations to Laura Schmid, recipient of this year’s ISTA Alumni Award! 🎉 Read more about her impressive journey: ista.ac.at/en/news/laura-schmid-rec… #ISTAalumni
📸 Laura Schmid ©️ Laura Schmid
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
More than a decade ago, scientists redefined how to study organ development by creating organoids—organ-like microstructures grown from stem cells.
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Stunning images from the 2026 solar eclipse. 🌑✨ Yesterday, at „From Eclipse to Starlight“, we watched the #TotalEclipse together on the big screen. Today, these incredible images have reached us from Spain, captured by ISTA alum Santiago Torres​. Thank you for sharing this special moment with us!
📸 Total solar eclipse. Palencia, Spain. ©️ Santiago Torres | Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Spain📸 Total solar eclipse. Palencia, Spain. ©️ Santiago Torres | Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Spain
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Reposted by Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
allen institute @alleninstitute.org · 11/08/2026
Ketamine increases neuroplasticity in female mice but not males. With @istaresearch.bsky.social, we found the key gene behind the difference. If it holds in humans, it could reshape how we approach assessing treatments. 🔗 Story: bit.ly/4yM4hvL 🔬 Journal article: bit.ly/4pYisK8
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
We know stars and black holes. But what about “black hole stars”? And how could such an early, rapidly growing black hole wrapped in dense gas help answer one of the biggest questions about the Universe? Read more: ista.ac.at/en/news/blac... #ISTAresearch #BlackHoleStar #LittleRedDots #JWST
ista.ac.at
Black Hole Star: Mirage or Miracle?
Little red dots have puzzled astronomers since their discovery in JWST data from the Universe’s deep past. Their ‘powering engines’ might resemble a newly discovered phenomenon dubbed a “black hole st...
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The 24th European Workshop on #WhiteDwarfs, hosted at ISTA, brought together more than 200 researchers from around the world, making this year’s meeting the largest in its history. A big thank you to everyone involved for making this conference such a success.
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
New #publication by Irene Varela-Martínez and colleagues from @cnb-csic.bsky.social in Madrid, the Hippenmeyer group at ISTA, and Universidade do Porto just published in Science Advances @science.org.
📷 In yellow, neurons in the developing mouse cerebral cortex. Cell nuclei are shown in blue. © Irene Varela-Martínez/CNB-CSIC
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
A new paper by the Siegert group, Alessandro Venturino and colleagues from the Allen Institute in Seattle, USA, published in Science Advances, shows how mice recover from ketamine anesthesia.
📷 Alessandro Venturino (front) and Sandra Siegert (back). © ISTA
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
📢 Calling for applicants! 📢 The NOMIS–ISTA Fellowship Program offers postdoctoral researchers the freedom and security to explore high-risk concepts at the intersection of multiple scientific disciplines. Apply now: bit.ly/49ivtnW
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Proud to share that ISTA has been recognized for the fourth consecutive year among Austria’s top 1% employers with the Leading Employer Award​ 2026. A huge thank you to all ISTA employees. Together, we continue to make ISTA an outstanding place to work, grow, and be innovative.
📸 © LEADING EMPLOYERS
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Congratulations to ISTA alum Soumyadip Mondal, who has been awarded the Silver Medal of the Young Chemists’ Award by the European Chemical Society (EuChemS) for his PhD thesis “Oxygen and Sulfur Redox: Conversion Kinetics and Phase Equilibria".
📸 Soumyadip Mondal ©️ Lara Artis📸 Young Chemists’ Award by the EuChemS©️ Soumyadip Mondal
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Researchers from the Wojtan group present two papers at the leading computer graphics conference SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles. Read more: ista.ac.at/en/news/infi...
ista.ac.at
Infinite Deformation and Shape Computation
This year, researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) are presenting two papers at SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles—a leading annual computer graphics conference organized by the A...
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Do you want to push the frontiers of science and go beyond the scientific norms together with supervisors and colleagues that are among the best in the world? Apply now for the fully funded, 2-year ISTA Fellowship Program: ista.ac.at/en/education/postdocs/is…
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Engineering single molecules to act as effective microscopic magnets could herald a new era in nanoelectronics. However, the magnetic fields generated in single‑molecule circuits are typically weak. Read more: ista.ac.at/en/news/quan...
ista.ac.at
Quantum Effects Turn a Single Molecule into a Magnet
Driving an electric current through a molecule can create a magnetic field. Yet in practice, such fields are often too weak to be detected experimentally. Through theoretical modeling, researchers at ...
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Entanglement is a central feature of quantum physics. Achieving distributed entanglement between physically separated qubits could enable future advances. Now, ISTA physicists have engineered a quantum bath that autonomously syncs distant qubits using a common source of correlated photons.
© ISTA
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
A new paper by Gašper Tkačik and Alexis Bénichou at @istaresearch.bsky.social, together with Benjamin Zoller and Thomas Gregor from @pasteur.fr and @princeton.edu, has just been published in @pnas.org.
📸 Gašper Tkačik. © ISTA
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Roots avoid plant rot. 🌱 Researchers including ISTA’s Jiří Friml ‪@frimllab.bsky.social​ newly identified “saprotropism”: roots bend away from decaying plant matter—but not animal decay—by sensing acidic pH gradients in soil. Published in @science.org​. Read more: bit.ly/4aJkuY9
Plants bend their roots away from a rotten apple, leaf, and even sawdust. The response was observed not only in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, but also in crop species including rapeseed, tomato, and wheat—suggesting that saprotropism is widespread among plants. © Bao et al. / ScienceFungi and other microbes break down dead plant material in the soil. By doing so, they release acidic chemicals that spread outward like a warning signal. Nearby roots sense this acidic zone before touching the decay and bend away from it. © Bao et al. / ScienceISTA Professor Jiří Friml with the mouse-ear cress (A. thaliana) — his research group’s main model organism. © FWF/Luiza Puiu
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
ISTA has launched its Responsible AI Program, made possible by a €5M donation from entrepreneur & philanthropist Garrett Camp. The initiative funds early-career scientists working on projects that promote fairness, transparency, privacy, and accountability in AI. Read more: bit.ly/4w8b6Fw
📸 Postdocs Joel Daniel Andersson, Filip Cano, Valentino Maiorca, and Marco Pegoraro (from left to right) © ISTA
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Auxin and the control of plant growth and development”, a concise @currentbiology.bsky.social​ primer by ISTA researchers Valentin Leitner and Eva Benková is out now: www.cell.com/current-biology/fullte… #Auxin #PlantScience #PlantDevelopment #PlantHormones #Botany
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Giorgia Guglielmi (she/her) @giorgiag-sciwriter.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
A year ago, as a resident journo at @istaresearch.bsky.social through the @frontiersmedia.bsky.social program, a conversation on a computational theory led me somewhere unexpected. The story, now in @thetransmitter.bsky.social, is about how mitochondria may shape synapses, memory and even behavior 👇
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
At yesterday’s ISTA Lecture, physicist Ignacio Cirac from the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics offered a glimpse into the future of quantum technologies, discussing how even near-term quantum computers can already serve as powerful tools for scientific discovery. 📸 © Anna Stöcher | ISTA
📸 © Anna Stöcher | ISTA📸 © Anna Stöcher | ISTA📸 © Anna Stöcher | ISTA
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
How do light particles behave when confined to billionths of a meter? How can these phenomena drive discoveries in imaging, communication, & quantum technologies? These are the questions driving Charles Roques‑Carmes, the newest #faculty member at ISTA. More: bit.ly/4axfYf9
Physicist and engineer Charles Roques-Carmes. © ISTA Charles Roques-Carmes (fourth from the left) and his group members at ISTA. © ISTA
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Haselbach Lab @haselbachlab.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
We're delighted to announce the 9th Austrian Cryo-EM (ACE) Symposium - Sept 24-25, 2026 at IMP, Vienna. Organized with @istaresearch.bsky.social 🎤 Abstract deadline: Aug 5, 2026 📅 Info & registration: imp.ac.at/research/cryo-em-symposium/
imp.ac.at
Cryo-EM Symposium | Vienna BioCenter | cryo-Electron Miscroscopy Conference
The annual Cryo-EM Symposium is a conference for structural biologists to discuss cutting-edge developments in cryo-Electron Miscroscopy. Held at the Vienna BioCenter.
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) @istaresearch.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Three ISTA Professors recognized among Europe’s leading life scientists. Plant geneticist Xiaoqi Feng, soft matter physicist Anđela Šarić, and biophysicist Gašper Tkačik have been elected as new members of @embo.org​. Congratulations! 👏 Read more about their research: bit.ly/4xUvkUV
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