24.6.2026
The Department of Physics and Astronomy congratulates Prof. Dr Fred Hamprecht of Heidelberg University's Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR) on receiving an ERC Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (ERC).
In the project Learning Orbital-Free Density Functional Theory (LearningOFDFT), Fred Hamprecht and his team will develop new machine-learning approaches for computational quantum chemistry. The goal is to achieve precise and stable calculations of molecular energies based on electron densities within an orbital-free framework. Addressing a problem that has remained open for decades in fundamental quantum-chemical research, the project aims to enable significantly faster predictions even for complex molecular and material systems. In the long term, the results may advance applications ranging from the analysis of biomolecular reactions to the development of environmentally friendly materials.
Further information is available in Heidelberg University's press release.
VIRGINIA LENK
