Dr Kristina Rusimova, Reader in the Department of Physics and Co-Director of the Centre for Photonics at the University of Bath, has been awarded a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant worth €2.5 million to develop a revolutionary new way of controlling chemical reactions one molecule at a time.

The five-year project, LUMIN (Light Utilised Molecular Interaction Nanoscopy), aims to give scientists an unprecedented ability to observe and direct chemical reactions as they unfold at the atomic scale. The award is one of Europe's most competitive research grants and supports ambitious early-career researchers pursuing bold, high-risk ideas with the potential to transform their field. Hosted by the University's Centre for Photonics, LUMIN will establish a unique new experimental platform that combines scanning tunnelling microscopy with advanced optical measurements, enabling researchers to probe the ultrafast dynamics that govern chemical reactions with atomic precision.

The funding will support the recruitment of five new researchers and the construction of a bespoke low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscope specifically designed for light-coupled measurements. The new facility will significantly expand the University's research capabilities and strengthen Bath's international reputation in nanoscience and photonics.

Chemical reactions underpin almost every aspect of modern life - from manufacturing medicines and sustainable chemicals to developing future quantum technologies. While scientists can now trigger reactions in individual molecules using atomically sharp probes, what happens next remains remarkably difficult to control.

Once a reaction begins, its pathway is largely determined by the complex movement of electrons and atoms over incredibly short timescales. Even under carefully controlled laboratory conditions, the final outcome is often governed by probability rather than design.

LUMIN seeks to overcome this limitation by developing entirely new methods to observe and manipulate these molecular dynamics in real time.

Using scanning tunnelling microscopy, photon-correlation spectroscopy and automated high-throughput experiments, the research team will investigate the complete cycle of electronic excitation and molecular motion. By measuring how molecules evolve after excitation - and learning how to influence those processes - the project aims to steer reactions towards desired outcomes instead of simply initiating them.

To validate the approach, the team will study a carefully selected range of model chemical reactions with sub-molecular resolution, combining experimental measurements with quantum chemical simulations to build predictive models of reaction dynamics.

LUMIN will establish a fundamentally new paradigm for controlling chemistry at the atomic scale, with potential applications ranging from molecular electronics and catalysis to quantum information technologies.

Dr Kristina Rusimova said:

Programming matter at the level of individual atoms and molecules has long been one of the grand challenges of nanotechnology. Today we can often trigger a chemical reaction with atomic precision, but once it begins, its outcome is largely left to chance.

With LUMIN, we want to understand the hidden molecular dynamics that determine how reactions unfold and develop entirely new ways of controlling them. By combining atomic-resolution microscopy with advanced optical techniques, we hope to move beyond simply initiating chemistry to actively steering it.

This would fundamentally change how we study and manipulate matter at the smallest scales, opening exciting opportunities in quantum technologies, catalysis and molecular electronics while answering some of the most fundamental questions about how chemical reactions really work.

Professor Duncan Craig, Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Bath, said:

Winning an ERC Starting Grant is an exceptional achievement and reflects the originality and ambition of Dr Rusimova's research. These awards recognise scientists with the vision to tackle some of the most challenging questions in their field. The LUMIN project will bring outstanding new talent and world-leading experimental capability to the University of Bath, further strengthening our internationally recognised research in photonics, nanoscience and quantum technologies. We are delighted to congratulate Kristina on this tremendous success.

Dr Rusimova completed her PhD at Bath, where she pioneered new approaches for controlling molecular processes using scanning tunnelling microscopy. She now leads the NanoBioPhotonics research group and serves as Co-Director of the University's Centre for Photonics, developing advanced techniques to investigate light–matter interactions at the atomic scale. In preparing for her ERC interview, she was supported by the University's Research and Innovation Services (RIS), which provided interview coaching to help her communicate the ambition and significance of LUMIN to the ERC panel.

Dr Rusimova was grateful for the work completed with RIS:

The support from RIS was invaluable in preparing for the interview. It gave me the opportunity to practise communicating the big picture of LUMIN clearly and to anticipate the questions I might face from the panel.

The ERC Starting Grant will enable the creation of a unique research facility at Bath that is expected to attract international collaborators and provide training opportunities for the next generation of scientists working at the interface of physics, chemistry and photonics. As the project progresses, the new experimental methods developed through LUMIN could pave the way for a future in which chemical reactions are not simply observed, but programmed with atomic precision.