Humboldt Fellow Dr. Safa Khemissi Studies the Molecular Basis of Cancer Medication

Humboldt fellow joins the molecular beam spectroscopy research group

We welcome Dr Safa Khemissi to the Institute. She completed her doctorate at the University of Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC) and subsequently conducted research at the Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA) in France. As a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, she will be working in Prof. Dr. Grabow's research group at our institute for the next two years. There, she will combine experimental and theoretical approaches to decipher the molecular structures and dynamics of cancer drugs, using two fluorouracil derivatives as reference systems.

Precision and innovation combining chemistry and physics

Dr. Khemissi received her Bachelor degree in Physical Chemistry in Tunisia, and her Master degree in Chemistry from UPEC. Her academic life is characterized by great creativity, beautiful research, and passion. For her PhD research, she joined the research groups of Prof. H. V. Lam Nguyen to unravel quantum mechanical effects in coupled methyl internal rotations with very low barriers frustrating their large amplitude motions. The spectral characteristics do no longer allow for traditional pattern recognition when unravelling such molecules exhibiting pronounced internal dynamics, including their complexes with solvents like water. The precision of the experimental work she has planned are expected to allow her to move forward in understanding the selective molecular recognition of drugs in chemistry and biology. Here, a current bottleneck is the analysis and modeling of the internal dynamics of complex molecular systems in order to disentangle the vast information acquired in the experiments on such quantum systems. Dr. Khemissi seeks to widen this bottleneck with an approach that employs short-pulse LASER ablation into supersonic expansions targeted by high-resolution microwave coherence spectroscopy.

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation offers global network

With its highly regarded funding programme, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation supports outstanding international researchers during their research stays in Germany. In this way, the foundation strengthens not only scientific exchange, but also the international visibility of research at the Institute.

• Explore Humboldt network: Dr. Safa Khemissi