Freshly appointed to the Faculty of Protestant Theology at the University of Bonn and immediately successful in acquiring one of the highest-ranking top grants of the European Union: Ethicist and Theologian Prof. Dr. Matthias Braun receives a coveted Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC). This is associated with funding of 1.5 million euros for the next five years. The researcher and his team are studying the ethical and societal impact of digital twins in healthcare.
Antibiotics are major weapons in the fight against bacterial infections. However, antibiotics are increasingly losing efficacy due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is a most serious threat, that besides limiting our option to treat bacterial infections, also restricts modern medical therapies and treatments, such as chemotherapy, transplantation and surgery.
With a varied program of events lasting nearly two weeks, the International Days 2022 were all about the University of Bonn’s international links and initiatives, including everything from academic panel discussions and workshops to research policy formats and cultural happenings. This year’s International Days opened with the state awards—including the Queen’s Prize, set up by the recently departed Queen Elizabeth II—being presented to outstanding early-career researchers by representatives from the British, Spanish and French Embassies.
The World Reputation Ranking, published by the prestigious magazine “Times Higher Education” (THE), has named the University of Bonn as one of the top 100 universities in the world. Its position in the group ranked 91st–100th marks a very strong performance by the University, which has also come an outstanding sixth within Germany.
From the CRISPR Cas9 gene scissors to artificial intelligence and reprogrammed cells: New technologies are always associated with ethical questions for research and application, to which there are no easy answers. irecs, the new collaborative project funded by the European Union, aims to strengthen principles of research ethics in as many disciplines as possible. Under the leadership of the University of Bonn, 17 partner organizations from Germany and abroad have joined forces to drive the project forward. The EU is funding the project with a total of 4.5 million euros over the next three years.
How can we use biotechnology to create a sustainable future in an ethical way? This question is addressed in teaching materials for schoolchildren produced by the Smithsonian Science Education Center in the USA. Agricultural economist Prof. Dr. Matin Qaim from the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn is involved with the chapter on "Biotechnology and Food Systems".
An international study led by the medical Faculty of the University of Bonn has identified a gene that plays an important role in the development of the human embryo. If it is altered, malformations of various organ systems can result. The gene emerged very early in evolution. It also exists in zebrafish, for example, and performs a similar function there. The results have now been published in the Journal of Medical Genetics.
With a total of 13 researchers, the University of Bonn is represented this year in the international ranking "Highly Cited Researchers". According to the creators of the ranking, the individuals on this list of "Highly Cited Researchers" are among the world's most influential one percent of their field.