Research and Teaching with the best minds

Research and Teaching at the University of Bonn

The University of Bonn is one of eleven Universities of Excellence in Germany and the only university with six Clusters of Excellence. Our seven faculties cover a broad range of disciplines. These strong disciplines are supplemented by six cross-faculty, interdisciplinary “Transdisciplinary Research Areas” (TRAs) that create spaces for exploration and innovation where key scientific, technological and social challenges are addressed.

Postdoc
© Volker Lannert/Uni Bonn

Transdisciplinary Research Profile

The research profile of our University of Excellence is based on our six Transdisciplinary Research Areas (TRAs), and is further strengthened by six Clusters of Excellence, countless collaborative projects and outstanding researchers.

Frau Professor Margherita Disertori vom Hausdorf Center for Mathematics hält eine Mathematikvorlesung vor Studierenden.
© Volker Lannert/Uni Bonn

Teaching Profile

We aim to create a passion for science in young people and help them develop their individual professional and personal skills as best possible. The overall orientation of study and teaching at the University is based on ten principles.

Wissenschaftler im Hofgarten
© Volker Lannert/Uni Bonn

Researchers and Teachers

The University provides a range of services to help increase the time available for research and teaching. These range from providing advice on submitting applications and handling third-party funded projects, all the way to consulting on teaching methods. Learn about our Welcome Center and funding lines for international exchange, among other things.

Angebote Forschende und Lehrende
© Ulrike E. Klopp/Uni Bonn

Doctoral Students and Postdocs

We want to give talented early-career researchers the opportunity to perform independent research and help them achieve their goals both within and outside academia. The Argelander Program provides orientation, cross-disciplinary training and funding for early-career researchers.

Transfer enaCOM
© Volker Lannert/Uni Bonn

Knowledge and Technology Transfer

enaCom Transfer Center sees itself as an intermediary, translator and catalyst between science and stakeholders outside the scientific community. Its work focuses on making research results obtained at the University of Bonn available for the benefit of society.

Forschung und Lehre - 2
© Frommann/Uni Bonn

Quality Assurance

Academic integrity and high quality teaching are our top priorities. Learn about our quality assurance measures, Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Research Practice and your contact persons.

Latest Research and Teaching News
Early galaxies contribute to the “afterglow” of the universe
The “afterglow” of the universe is an important piece of evidence for the Big Bang. This background radiation also provides important answers to the question of how the first galaxies were able to form. Researchers at the Universities of Bonn, Prague and Nanjing calculate that the strength of this radiation has probably been overestimated up to now. If the results prove to be accurate, it would call into question the theoretical foundation of the standard model of cosmology. The results have now been published in the journal “Nuclear Physics B.”
Bacterium Produces “Organic Dishwashing Liquid” to Degrade Oil
The marine bacterium Alcanivorax borkumensis feeds on oil, multiplying rapidly in the wake of oil spills, and thereby accelerating the elimination of the pollution, in many cases. It does this by producing an “organic dishwashing liquid” which it uses to attach itself to oil droplets. Researchers from the University of Bonn, RWTH Aachen University, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and research center Forschungszentrum Jülich have now discovered the mechanism by which this “organic dishwashing liquid” is synthesized. Published in the prominent international journal Nature Chemical Biology, the research findings could allow the breeding of more efficient strains of oil-degrading bacteria.
An inexhaustible source of profound questions
Finding the best possible solution to complex problems with the help of mathematics, computer science and economics - that is the goal of Professor László Végh, who has been the University of Bonn's new Hertz Chair for Algorithms and Optimization since August 2024. Together with his transdisciplinary team, he develops efficient algorithms and expands our understanding of the limits of computability. The inaugural symposium on 25 April 2025 provided a broad insight into the various research areas - from game theory to the latest developments in the theory of optimization.
Innovative New Detector to Hunt for Neutrinos
Technology is being pushed to its very limits. The upgrades to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN slated for the next few years will increase data transfer rates beyond what the current neutrino detector for the FASER experiment can cope with, requiring it to be replaced by a new kind of more powerful detector. This is a task that physicist Professor Matthias Schott from the University of Bonn will be tackling with the help of €1 million in Reinhart Koselleck funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG).

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Clusters of Excellence

200+

Degree Programs

699

Professors

Our Research Profile

The research profile of our University of Excellence is defined by six Transdisciplinary Research Areas (TRAs), each of which has a Clusters of Excellence at its core. The TRAs focus our research on key scientific, technological and social issues of the future. Outstanding researchers, strong disciplines and a cooperative research culture have always formed the basis of our research profile.

Transdisciplinary Research Areas

The six Transdisciplinary Research Areas (TRAs) at the University of Bonn create spaces for innovation in research and teaching.

Excellence Strategy

“We invest in people. We foster networks. We create impact.” Our strategy for excellence in research and teaching.

Clusters of Excellence

The University of Bonn has six Clusters of Excellence, more than any other university in Germany.

Promotion of Early-Career Researchers

We offer many support services for doctoral students and postdocs to promote early independent research.

Research Networks

Innovative top-level research in many national and international partnerships and collaborative projects sets us apart.

Outstanding Researchers

The outstanding research performed by our researchers is shown by the many awards that have been received.

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