• Has a quantitative understanding of complex reaction kinetics, including reactions involving light or electrodes
• Understands the basis concepts of complex reaction networks.
• Is able to show how different network topologies generate functional modules.
• Understands reaction-diffusion systems
• Is able to describe how concentration or thermal gradients create motion, and can analyze the thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of active transport
• Has a firm knowledge of soft matter concepts of gels, coacervates, and phase transitions in polymer systems

The field of Physical Organic Chemistry aims to study the correlations between molecular structure and reactivity and how changes in environmental conditions impact on chemical reactions. In this course, we will revisit reaction kinetics to include electrochemical and mechanochemical processes, and analyze how reaction networks can produce a range of properties, such as oscillations, bistability, or treshold sensing, that form the basis for the molecular computation processes in living systems. We will study how the interplay between reaction and diffusion leads to spatiotemporal pattern formation. An important part of this course is also the study of soft matter systems such as polymers, coacervates, gels, and colloidal systems, and how coupling with chemical reactions or chemical gradients can lead to motion. 

Concepts of physical organic chemistry and soft matter play an important role in both biology and modern materials science. This course will be of interest both for students with a focus on molecular life sciences or on materials science/molecular chemistry