Main areas of research at Münster University
"Religion and Politics" Cluster of Excellence: learning from history
The Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics in Pre-modern and Modern Cultures" has been in existence at Münster University since 2007. Around 200 academics from eleven nations, representing 20 subjects from the humanities and the social sciences, are examining the sensitive relationship between religion and politics which has influenced all epochs and cultures. It is the largest piece of collaborative research of its kind in Germany and, of the 37 clusters of excellence in existence nationwide, it is the only one dealing with religion.
The spectrum covered by the 60 research projects and 47 dissertations stretches from the antique world to the present day, and from Latin America to Europe to the Arab and Asian worlds. The academics involved are carrying out basic research and at the same time they aim to find answers to some pressing questions regarding the future in a globalized society.
The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding the group’s research until 2012 – as part of the Excellence Initiative being promoted at both national and regional level – and will be making a total of €37 million available. As a result several additional professorships have been set up, e.g. for the Sociology of Religion, Political Science and Jewish Studies, as have numerous posts for junior academics. The cluster of excellence also includes a graduate school with 47 doctoral students which provides support to junior academics.
Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics"
Three millennia, 30 projects:
The Centre for Text Editions and Commentaries
One thing that all humanities with an historical and philological slant have in common is their relationship to texts. This is why it is one of the fundamental tasks of these disciplines to be certain of a textual basis – from an examination of the means by which texts come down to us to reconstructions of this process and interpretations of texts via commentaries. Last but not least there is the necessity of translations, which are becoming ever more indispensable for the reception of texts among a wider academic and non-academic public.
It is here that the new Centre for Text Editions and Commentaries (ZETEK) at Münster University fills a gap. It links up the work done by academics in the fields of philosophy, history, philology and theology, who are working on texts and inscriptions from three millennia in 30 research projects. The aim is to make texts written in ancient or rare foreign languages useable for academic work.
ZETEK coordinates the presentation of this basic research to the outside world, promotes contacts nationally and internationally and enables members involved in numerous individual projects to make their work visible.
Centre for Text Editions and Commentaries (ZETEK)
Researching into networks: the world gets smaller
The information society is characterized by an increasing use of networks. Companies interact worldwide, cooperating with suppliers, customers and even former competitors. Public authorities are opening up for so-called private-public partnerships in order to benefit from the synergies available in both private and public institutions. A world without networks is no longer conceivable.
At Münster University research into networks has been carried out on an interdisciplinary basis for some time now. To this end, disciplines such as business information systems, business administration, economics, information technology, law, psychology, communication science and political science collaborate closely. The overarching question at the centre of Münster researchers’ work is: How do networks develop and how can they be influenced and shaped through an interdisciplinary approach? The evolution of networks is what the researchers are looking at in particular – in other words the entire life-cycle of networks, beginning with their origins, continuing through the behaviour and changes they demonstrate and ending in their dissolution.
The European Research Center for Information Systems (ERCIS) at Münster University has for many years now been playing a major part in coordinating international network research. ERCIS currently brings together researchers from the fields of information systems, information technology, law and business administration. In addition, 20 partner institutions form the basis for a well-developed research network. ERCIS researchers take part in numerous large-scale network projects, or are themselves project leaders. The most important funding organizations are the German Research Foundation, the European Union and the German Ministry of Education and Research.
European Research Center for Information Systems (ERCIS)
Focus on human beings: research for life
Cells: they are minute, but they play a big role in the human body. This is why numerous academics at Münster University are doing work on cellular processes and factors, dealing with questions such as: “How can a human being develop from one fertilized egg cell? How do the cells in an embryo “know” when to develop arteries, nerves or muscles – and where? And: What are the tricks that immune cells use to migrate from the blood into infected tissue – although arteries are in fact impervious? The organs of the human body are also the focus of molecular imaging, a field of research which deals with the visualization of physiological and pathological processes. Newly developed processes, for example, facilitate better diagnoses and therapies relating to heart and vascular diseases as well as to heart attacks and strokes.
Cell research in all its facets is carried out in the Faculties of Biology and Medicine at Münster University and at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Biomedicine. The spectrum of activities ranges from stem cell research and the study of mechanisms responsible for the development of blood vessels to research into inflammation processes. Intensive work is being done in numerous collaborative research centres (SFB 492: Extracellular Matrix: Biogenesis, Assembly and Cellular Interactions; SFB 629: Molecular Cell Dynamics: Subcellular and Cellular Movements; SFB TR58: Fear, Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders), as well as in Graduate Schools (Molecular Interactions of Pathogens with Biotic and Abiotic Surfaces; Molecular and Cellular Glyco-Sciences; Cell Dynamics and Disease) and in the Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research.
Research into molecular imaging is carried out at Münster University in the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy as well as in the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology. Interdisciplinary and international – that is the nature of the collaboration found in the Collaborative Research Centres “Molecular Cardiovascular Imaging” (SFB 656) and “Synergetic Effects in Chemistry - From Additivity towards Cooperativity” (SFB 858), as well as at the European Institute for Molecular Imaging (EIMI), the only cross-faculty institute of molecular imaging in the whole of Germany. A large number of junior scientists are also doing research at the International Graduate School of Chemistry (GSC-MS).
Department of Biology
Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
Graduate School of Chemistry
Molecular and Cellular Glyco-Sciences
Graduate Programme "Cell Dynamics and Disease"
Graduate School "Molecular Interactions of Pathogens with Biotic and Abiotic Surfaces"
Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine
Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research
European Institute for Molecular Imaging
SFB 656 "Molecular Cardiovascular Imaging"
SFB 858 "Synergetic Effects in Chemistry"
SFB TR58 "Fear, Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders"
SFB 629 "Molecular Cell Dynamics: Subcellular and Cellular Movements"
SFB 492 "Extracellular Matrix: Biogenesis, Assembly and Cellular Interactions"
Infectious disease research in Münster: From pathogenicity to prevention
Infectious diseases have an increasing impact on global health, accounting for approximately 25% of all deaths worldwide. The University Münster and the University Hospital Münster are globally recognized for their expertise in their research on Staphylococci, Escherichia coli, influenza viruses and their associated diseases. These pathogens cause highly transmissible infections that can be acquired both in the community and in hospitals. The research covers topics starting from the analysis of the pathogens' molecular mechanisms, which are necessary to cause infections, up to characterization of the hosts’ reactions on the cellular and molecular level. Research on the epidemiology of infectious diseases was established as a second focus, triggered by the alarming increase of pathogens' resistance against multiple anti-infective agents. Innovative methods and networks are continuously being developed at the University Münster to understand the evolution and spread of pathogens. Early-warning systems have been established that span local, national and international regions, for example, the ’Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus EUREGIO-Network’ framework. Furthermore, molecular and epidemiological data are integrated in data-warehouse structures for data-mining and modeling of infectious diseases. This research is already successfully translated (’data to knowledge’) to patient care as the increased understanding of a pathogen’s spread, especially in occurrences of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), enables us to establish effective prevention strategies in clinical routine.
The Institutes of Medical Microbiology and of Hygiene as well as the Centre of Molecular Biology of Inflammation (ZMBE), which hosts the Institutes of Infectiology and of Molecular Virology, are major research partners in the key aspects of infectious disease investigation in Münster. Moreover, infectious disease research has been an integral part of the research focus ’Molecular aspects of inflammation’ at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research (IZKF) Münster for many years. The Medical Faculty has also strengthened the expertise within the special areas of inflammation and pathogenesis, and several collaborations exist with scientists of the WWU Faculties of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy .
Infectious disease research in Münster is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in several projects. Among these there are the Collaborative Research Centre SFB-TRR34 ‘Pathophysiology of Staphylococci in the Post-Genomic Era‘, the German-African Cooperation Project in Infectiology (PAK-296, DFG) ’Infection biology and epidemiology of staphylococci and staphylococcal diseases in south and central Africa’, the International Graduate School GRK1409 ’Molecular Interactions of Pathogens with Biotic and Abiotic Surfaces’, the BMBF-networks ‘FBI-Zoo - Food-Borne Zoonotic Infections of Humans’, ‘FluResearchNet - Molecular signatures determining pathogenicity and species transmission of influenza A viruses‘, ‘SkinStaph - The Skin – Barrier and target to S. aureus’, the ‘National Research Platform for Zoonoses’, and the joint research project ’The microbiota of the human nose habitats - metagenomic analyses of their composition and dynamics’ within the BMBF activity ’Medical Infection Genomics’. Within these networks and beyond there are also excellent collaborations with other research institutions such as the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, the Robert-Koch-Institute, and the Friedrich-Löffler-Institute.
Energy research in Münster: nice and clean
The current discussion on energy and climate shows how important research into alternative forms of energy is for our society. This is why various disciplines at Münster University are engaged on work relating to this issue: energy research and materials research as well as nano-physics and nano-biotechnology.
The high quality of the research being done in all these fields is made clear by the large number of projects being funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) such as collaborative research centres and research groups. Münster Universitys' energy researchers are also being funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research and by the European Union.
In addition, Münster is also home to the Centre for NanoTechnology (CeNTech), the branch of the Fraunhofer Institute of Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME) recently established at Münster University, as well as the recently set up MEET Institute (Münster Electrochemical Energy Technology).
CeNTech
Münster Electrochemical Energy Technology (MEET)
Institute of Physical Chemistry
MEA Industrial Research School – Materials for Energy Applications
Evolution Research in Münster: The Rise of Complexity
It is a major strategic goal of WWU to take advantage of its diversity of research fields for developing an academic profile that crosses traditional boundaries. In this context, evolution research has become one of the focus areas of WWU’s research profile. Evolution is broadly defined as a gradual development that may lead to a more advanced or complex form. Evolution turned the Earth from an inanimate planet into the world we know today, evolution produced today’s biodiversity from an unstructured mixture of abiotic chemicals, and evolution of the human body and culture has driven the emergence of modern human societies. Modern evolutionary thinking may also provide a unifying theoretical framework to understand and address urgent problems of humankind, such as climate change, bioinvasions, or disease epidemiology.
WWU has a long-standing tradition in research on, and teaching in, evolution. Bernhard Rensch (1900-1990) was a widely known evolutionary biologist and one of the architects of the ‘modern synthesis’ of evolutionary biology. He worked in Münster from 1937 until 1990 and had close contacts with many internationally leading scientists from around the world, including Julian Huxley, Theodosius Dobzhansky, John Haldane and Ernst Mayr. Since 1980, the annual Bernhard Rensch Lecture has featured internationally renowned scientists, with lectures aimed at researchers and the general public.
In 2005, the Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity (IEB) was founded to integrate groups working on diverse aspects of biological evolution. Research at the IEB addresses a wide range of evolutionary questions in theory, molecules, plants, and animals – a rather unique setting in Germany. Evolutionary biology in Münster is currently funded by the Volkswagen Foundation with support for a MSc special study programme „Evolution and Biocomplexity“. Moreover, the IEB hosts the spokesperson and a bioinformatics platform of the DFG priority programme 1399 „Host-Parasite Coevolution“. Evolutionary research also plays an important role in other disciplines at WWU. For example, the geosciences study the evolution of the planetary system, the Earth, and its atmosphere and biosphere. In the Medical Faculty, several groups directly work on evolutionary topics, such as virus or genome evolution.
In order to support the goal to institutionalize evolution research in Münster, WWU participates in the current round of the Excellence Initiative by the German federal and state governments with the proposal for a „Münster Graduate School of Evolution“ (MGSE). The „Münster Graduate School of Evolution“ will initially be based on biology, medicine, geosciences, philosophy, mathematics, and theology. MGSE students will address a broad range of questions from the evolution of the Earth to the evolution of evolutionary theory, based on common theoretical approaches and experimental testing at different levels. MGSE aims to establish evolution as one of the key pillars in the academic profile of WWU and to provide a lasting structure for the advancement and application of evolutionary thinking at the interface of science and humanities.
Bernhard Rensch Lecture
DFG Priority Programme 1399 „Host-Parasite Coevolution“
Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity
Münster Graduate School of Evolution Initiative
Special Study Programme „Evolution and Biocomplexity“
The Institute of Planetology: Focus on the Moon and Mercury
It’s not that far from Münster to the moon if you happen to be a member of Münster University’s Institute of Planetology – because Münster’s planetologists are involved in a NASA mission which put the so-called Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter into orbit around the moon.
One of the Münster researchers’ experiments is also on board: three cameras supplying hitherto unseen details of the moon. The images help to put an even more precise date on the age of the moon’s surface and find landing spots for future lunar missions. Also, the planetologists want to use the images to investigate the hypothesis that there are remains of water in the particularly deep craters at the poles.
But the Institute also has its eye on objects even farther away: in 2014 a probe is due to be sent to Mercury as part of the MERTIS project (Mercury Radiometer and Thermal Infrared Spectrometer). The aim of this mission is to facilitate a mineralogical mapping of Mercury. Using this knowledge, conclusions can be drawn on the origins of the planet. The German Aerospace Centre’s space agency is providing the Institute of Planetology with funding of € 11.4 million until 2015.
Institute of Planetology
The Mathematical Institutes:
A concentration of academic competence
The Mathematical Institutes at Münster University are among the most renowned in Germany. Five Leibniz Award-winners and two winners of the Max Planck Research Prize teach and do research here. And, because bright minds attract other bright minds, over the past 15 years many of the chairs in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science have been held by a new generation of outstanding mathematicians.
Since 1990 research in Mathematics has been driven by two groups of junior researchers funded by the German Research Foundation, as well as by two collaborative research centres. In the "Geometric Methods in Mathematics" Collaborative Research Centre (SFB 478), successful research was carried out on geometric structures and their further development as a method, as well as on their applications.
The "Groups, Geometry and Actions" Collaborative Research Centre (SFB 878) is currently looking at the interplay between various fields of mathematics. Exchanging ideas and solutions is designed to lead to new insights in a variety of fields.
The “Groups, Geometry and Actions” Collaborative Research Centre
Mathematics and Computer Science
Research into high ability: helping bright minds
The International Centre for Research into High Ability (ICBF) is a collaboration between Münster University and the Catholic University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. The ICBF focuses its works on three areas: research into high ability, support for high ability and training.
The successful research being done in these areas is being funded by numerous high-ranking partners and foundations such as the Deutsche Telekom Foundation and the Bertelsmann Foundation. As a result, for example, it has been possible to create an endowed professorship for Early Education in Natural Sciences. This professorship is the first of its kind in Germany.
International Centre for Research into High Ability
