Research and Study at the University of Excellence in Bonn

We make evidence-based academic contributions that help our modern, complex and changing society meet the global challenges of the 21st century. Central to our mission is the support of the next generations.

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

Litter in the Rhine River: Some 53,000 Items of Litter Flow Past Cologne Daily

The amount of litter floating in the Rhine is many times larger than previously believed. Researchers from the University of Bonn, the University of Tübingen and the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) partnered with the Cologne-based non-profit pollution-fighting organization K.R.A.K.E. to collect and classify macro litter in a floating litter trap—the only one of its kind in Germany—over a period of 16 months. Extrapolation models based on the observed volume indicate that roughly 53,000 items of macro waste debris float past Cologne on the Rhine river every day. Disposable plastic products make up a large proportion of the litter found in the Rhine. The findings have now been published in the scientific journal “Communications Sustainability.”

A mystery of episodic memory solved

The human brain must be able to link memory content to the circumstances in which it occurs. Researchers in Bonn have now discovered how the human brain uses two different groups of neurons to store content and context separately. These nerve cell groups work together in a coordinated manner to form memories, rather than mixing signals in the activity of individual cells. The study results have now been published in the renowned journal Nature.

New Heisenberg Professor at the University of Bonn

A new Heisenberg Professor has begun her work at the University of Bonn. Professor Laury Sarti, a medieval historian, is investigating the everyday mobility of people in the Middle Ages, considering not only the nobility but also ordinary individuals. Through its Heisenberg Programme, the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) enables researchers to pursue high-level projects and thus burnish their academic reputation even further. Sarti is receiving funding worth around €650,000.

How a Fungus Leads to Tissue Growths in Maize

When a maize plant is attacked by the fungus Ustilago maydis, tumor-like tissue growths occur at the site of infection. How the pathogen causes this response in its host has long been unknown. But a University of Bonn study has now shown how the fungus takes over the plant’s function for forming lateral roots. The findings have been published in the journal New Phytologist.

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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.

Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider

The professor of civil law, data and information law has now been the Federal Data Protection Commissioner for five years – something she says she owes to the University of Bonn.

Christiane Woopen

Prof. Dr. Christiane Woopen holds a Heinrich Hertz Professorship in the transdisciplinary research area “Individuals, Institutions and Societies” and heads the Center for Life Ethics at the University of Bonn.

Marcel Hövels

It looks like sugar, tastes like sugar, but is actually a sweet fiber. Dr. Marcel Hövels is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology and has developed an alternative sweetener.

Monique Mauel

Monique Mauel is a 2023 State Prize winner, receiving one of the coveted awards for outstanding academic achievement at the University of Bonn.

Events

Saturday Jan 10, 2026

iStart: Job Interview Coaching

Bonn

11:00 AM - 03:00 PM

No more stressing about job interviews! Learn the do’s and don’ts and typical questions with a trainer. Practice your answers, body language, and voice while ...

Monday Jan 12, 2026

Chit-Chat Lounge

International Club, ...

07:00 PM - 10:00 PM

We hold a Chit-Chat Lounge every Monday together with the International Students Department of the General Students’ Committee (AStA). It gives us a relaxed ...

Monday Jan 12, 2026

Dr. des. Sandra J. Schlage: Dance Images from Vaiṣṇava Temples

Abteilung für Asiatische ...

06:15 PM - 07:45 PM

“Same but Different? Dance Images from 16th to 18th-Century Vaiṣṇava Temples in the Tamiḻ Region and Bengal.”: We find dance imagery in Viṣṇu temples from all ...