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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Mathematics Department of the University of Bonn has awarded the Hausdorff Memorial Prize to former doctoral student Florian Schweiger for the best PhD thesis in mathematics in the past academic year. The honor, which took place virtually, was held by the chair of the Department, Prof. Dr. Anton Bovier, subsequent to the Hausdorff Colloquium.
Two members of the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS), the Excellence Cluster in the field of humanities and social sciences at the University of Bonn, have been recognized for their outstanding academic work. Prof. Dr. Béla Bodó, Principal Investigator at the BCDSS, received the Hungarian Studies Association Book Prize for a monograph on anti-Semitism and political violence in Hungary between 1919 and 1921. Dr Eva Marie Lehner, BCDSS postdoctoral fellow, was awarded the Dissertation Prize of the Working Group on Historical Women and Gender Studies. Her dissertation examines the index of personal data in early modern church registers in southern German parishes.
Mitochondria are known as energy suppliers for our cells, but they also play an important role in the defense against pathogens. They can initiate immune responses, and deprive pathogens of the nutrients they need to grow. A research team led the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne has now shown that pathogens can turn off mitochondrial defense mechanisms by hijacking a normal cellular response to stress. Scientists from the University of Bonn were also involved in the study, which was published in the journal Science.
Bonn/Germany, January 12, 2022. Long before the onset of dementia, there is evidence for increased activity of the brain’s immune system. Researchers from DZNE and the University of Bonn come to this conclusion based on a study of more than 1,000 older adults. To this end, various proteins were measured in the cerebrospinal fluid: They served as so-called biomarkers that indicate inflammatory processes of the nervous system. As it turned out, some of these molecules seem to be part of a damage control program of the immune system, which could be useful for the development of new drugs. The study results have been published in the scientific journal “Neuron”.
6
Clusters of Excellence
200+
Degree Programs
545
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.