Stephan Block

Stephan Block is a W2 Heisenberg Professor for Biophysical Chemistry at the Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, leading the Heisenberg Group 'Bionanointerfaces'. His research focuses on quantifying multivalent virus-receptor interactions, optofluidic systems at bio-interfaces, biomimetic hydrogel models, and single-molecule biophysical techniques like TIRF, confocal microscopy, and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS).

• Education:
  • PhD in Physics (University of Greifswald, Germany, 2005-2010)
  • Postdoctoral research (Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden; University Medicine Greifswald, Germany)

His research integrates nanotechnology, polymer science, and single-molecule biophysics to develop antiviral materials, high-throughput biophysical assays, and dynamic hydrogel platforms for drug delivery and virus inhibition studies. Recent work highlights lipid nanoparticle-mucus interactions, flexible sialylated nanogels, and microfluidic force spectroscopy with sub-pN sensitivity.

Scientific Awards include the prestigious Heisenberg Professorship and funding from the Emmy Noether Programme (DFG), Collaborative Research Centres (CRC 765, 1078, 1449), and the Berlin University Alliance. He actively mentors students in interdisciplinary projects at the interface of (bio)physics, (bio)chemistry, and material science, with a focus on single-molecule resolution and advanced data analysis.