The counterintuitive features of quantum physics have already revolutionized our understanding of how the world behaves on the microscopic level. But are there any non-trivial consequences of quantum effects that have a functional relevance for biology?

As the previous four workshops, our meeting will cover the latest developments in the inter-disciplinary field studying quantum mechanical phenomena in biological and chemical structures central to life. This year, our meeting will be held at the Institute for Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA), which together with other institutes, comprises the Vienna BioCampus (VBC).

By choosing this venue, we aim to further engage the biology community in our research efforts while providing a stimulating environment for physicists and chemist to identify further potential areas of research. There will be plenty of time for brainstorming and discussions during the event and we added new topics focused at fostering the collaboration within this truly interdisciplinary field.

Among the session topics this year:

(1) Energy and charge transfer in photosynthetic light harvesting
(2) Recent and Emerging systems (Magnetoreception, Olfaction, Channels and pumps, Rhodopsin, Enzymatic reaction / Tunneling in bio-molecular systems)
(3) Quantum Biology for Biologist
(4) Current biological research questions
(5) Quantum techniques for biology
(6) Emergent techniques for biology

The list of confirmed speakers includes:

Anton Zeilinger (Keynote) – University of Vienna
Markus Arndt - University of Vienna
Alan Aspuru-Guzik - Harvard University
Hans Briegel - University of Innsbruck
Greg Engel - University of Chicago
Joachim Heberle - Freie Universität Berlin
Peter Hore - University of Oxford
Susana Huelga - University of Ulm
David Keays - Institute of Molecular Pathology
Philipp Kukura – University of Oxford
Masoud Mohseni – MIT/BBN Technologies
Henrik Mouritsen – University of Oldenburg
Massimo Olivucci - Universita di Siena & Bowling Green State University
Yasser Omar - Technical University of Lisbon
Martin Plenio - University of Ulm
Markus Raschke - University of Colorado
Arno Rauschenbeutel - Technical University of Vienna
Makis Skoulakis - Alexander Fleming Research Centers
Jörg Wachtrup - University of Stuttgart
Birgitta Whaley - University of California Berkeley
Fred Wolf - Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization