Research and Study at the University of Excellence in Bonn

With eight Clusters of Excellence, we are Germany's most successful University of Excellence, producing evidence-based academic contributions that help our modern, complex and changing society address the global challenges of the 21st century. Supporting the next generation is central to our mission.

We aim to inspire and foster young talent, early-career researchers and emerging leaders who play a vital role in safeguarding our democracy and shaping a future of progress, prosperity, and sustainable transformation in a digital and globally connected world.

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Latest News

When Rust Falls from a Tree

Whether on a car, a garden fence, or a ship: a coat of paint protects against rust. But water takes its toll on any coating—from a rain shower to ocean waves. Until now, the damage was primarily attributed to mechanical wear on the surface or to interactions with acidic components in the droplets. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research have now identified a previously unknown factor in collaboration with the University of Bonn: the electrical charge of water droplets. They show that this charge damages surfaces over time—an effect that could open up new approaches for more durable coatings. Their findings were now published in the scientific journal “Nature”.

Light gases exhibit critical behavior

RESEARCH TICKER UNIVERSITY OF BONN: A team of researchers from the University of Bonn, Heidelberg University and the National Autonomous University of Mexico has studied the critical behavior of light particles (photons) close to a phase transition.

A Ray of Hope in the Fight Against Cancer

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Germany. In the search for new therapeutic approaches that target the uncontrolled growth of tumor cells, a class of enzymes known as cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) has come into focus. This is because this family of enzymes plays a fundamental role in gene expression and cell division. An overview of the current state of research on the transcriptional regulation of CDKs and the prospects for cancer treatment was compiled by Prof. Matthias Geyer of the University Hospital Bonn and the University of Bonn in collaboration with Prof. Robert P. Fisher of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, and has now been published in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery.

Robots Listening Out for Instructions in the Greenhouse

The greenhouses of the future are set to see ever-greater human-robot collaboration, and a team led by Professor Maren Bennewitz from the University of Bonn together with partners from Taiwan is using artificial intelligence to study the basic principles needed to make this happen. In their project, entitled “Learning Expert-Guided Crop Intervention through Human-in-the-Loop LLM Robotics” (or “AgriLoop” for short), the groups from the two countries are investigating how greenhouse robots will be able to work more closely with agricultural experts with the aid of natural-language interaction.

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We are Uni Bonn!

Together we are the "we": The roots of the success of the University of Excellence Bonn lie in its people. In the #WeAreUniBonn campaign, we present employees, students, and alumni who, with their remarkable achievements, contribute to the success of our university.

Angkana Rüland

The mathematician focuses on challenges that arise in the natural sciences and lead to mathematical questions. Prof. Dr. Angkana Rüland was awarded the Leibniz Prize for her work.

Cyrill Stachniss

Prof. Dr. Cyrill Stachniss is an expert in robotics and research for sustainable plant production. He is one of the two spokespersons for the PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence.

Jaqueline Lorenzen

The new public law of sustainability is Prof. Dr. Jaqueline Lorenzen’s area of expertise. For this reason, she was appointed Argelander Professor of Law on Sustainability and Ecological Transformation.

Dominik Bach

Prof. Dr. Dominik Bach's research uses artificial intelligence to advance our understanding of mental illnesses. He is the Hertz Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience.

Events

Sunday Aug 30, 2026

Stadt-Land-Mitmachbus in Adenau - discuss the future of medicine

Adenau

12:00 PM - 05:00 PM

We invite you to visit the "StadtLandMitmachbus" (Interactive Science Bus) at the Adenau local festival on Sunday, August 30. We will be at the market square ...

Sunday Aug 30, 2026

Kammerchor an der Uni Bonn & Klang:Voll Ensemble

Schlosskirche Bonn (An ...

03:00 PM

Zu seinem 15-jährigen Bestehen freut sich der Kammerchor auf gemeinsame Konzerte mit dem Ensemble Klang:Voll verbunden mit einer Konzertreisenach ...

Tuesday Sep 01, 2026

Game Design Studio Session - Part 17

Brühler Str. 7, 53119 ...

03:00 PM - 06:00 PM

Spieleentwickler*innen und Spieletester*innen treffen sich einmal im Monat in den Räumlichkeiten des Transfer Center enaCom in der Brühler Straße 7, um ...

Wednesday Sep 02, 2026

Mikroskopier-Mittwoch

Bonn

02:00 PM - 06:00 PM

Wie sieht eine Pflanze aus, wenn man ihr ganz nah kommt? Beim Mikroskopier-Mittwoch könnt ihr Pflanzen aus einer anderen Perspektive beobachten. Das offene ...

Event Calendar

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Research and Study at the University of Excellence in Bonn