Research Units

Natural forests form a diverse mosaic, with variability in environmental conditions and species composition determining the functions of this ecosystem. The recently observed consistent loss of this diversity indicates increasingly homogeneous communities in patches of landscapes, caused by an intensification of land use. To assess the impact of this homogenization and to develop guidelines to reverse its potentially adverse effects, FOR 5375 combines expertise in forest science, ecology, remote sensing, chemical ecology and statistics. Specifically, the scientists involved are aiming to investigate whether improving the structural complexity can in turn improve the biodiversity and multifunctionality of production forests.

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Jörg Müller (Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology)

Duration: since 2022

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Creating and promoting lasting knowledge is a major goal of education. Educational institutions (e.g. schools and universities) are expected to enable learners to acquire knowledge that is preserved for a long time and which can be use flexibly whenever needed. Research so far, however, has mainly focussed on the acquisition of knowledge over a relatively short time scale. The overarching goal of FOR 5254 is therefore to contribute to the development of a theoretical framework of lasting learning in real-world learning settings.

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Tobias Richter (Department of Psychology IV)

Duration: since 2022

Further information can be found here.

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are able to produce collimated and strongly relativistic outflows. These so-called AGN jets are central objects in modern astroparticle physics and the question of their formation is closely linked to fundamental physical questions. Nevertheless, fundamental questions of AGN jet physics are currently unresolved. The research unit FOR 5195 therefore aims to find answers to these questions in the light of groundbreaking new observations made with the most modern large-scale astronomical equipment.

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Matthias Kadler (Institute for Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics)

Duration: since 2021

Further information can be found here.

The majority of the world's population is infected with the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). Its clinical relevance and socioeconomic implications are significantly underestimated. This can lead to life-threatening infections in immunocompromised people. All findings indicate that HCMV-related health consequences are far more comprehensive than assumed. The overarching goal of FOR 2830 is therefore to close the major knowledge gaps about the antigenic properties of viral gene products and their role in the interaction with the immune system.

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Lars Dölken (Institute of Virology and Immunobiology)

Duration: since 2019

Further information can be found here.

The nucleus of statehood lies at the local level, in the village, in the district, in the neighborhood. Here, a community beyond the family first develops collective rules intended to ensure its continued existence. In most cases, however, not only this control level is available. Supra-local power formations – from regional alliances to empires – stand above them, which complement or compete with the offers of local order. According to the premise of this research unit, local self-regulation is particularly diverse and pronounced when supra-local statehood exists in the mode of weak penetration. How local self-regulation works in this context is the central research question of FOR 2757.

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Rene Pfeilschifter (Institut für Geschichte)

Duration: since 2019

Further information can be found here.

Die alten Kulturen Ägyptens, Westasiens und des östlichen Mittelmeerraums haben überaus reiche Texttraditionen hervorgebracht, die gemeinhin als „magische Texte“ angesprochen werden. Ägyptische und griechische Papyri, Keilschrifttexte in unterschiedlichen Sprachen und viele andere Textzeugnisse überliefern Ritualanweisungen, Rezitanda und Rezepte, aber auch erläuternde Texte unterschiedlicher Art und Schriftdokumente, die selbst Teil magischer Ritualpraktiken waren. Die Texte geben Aufschluss über religiöse Anschauungen, frühes Weltverständnis, gelehrte Traditionen und Vorformen von Wissenschaft. Sie werfen Licht auf soziale und kulturelle Normen, aber auch auf Konflikte und die prekäre Existenz des Individuums in vormodernen Gesellschaften. Die KFG MagEIA widmet sich der interdisziplinären und komparatistischen Erforschung dieser Texttraditionen.

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Daniel Schwemer (Institut für Altertumswissenschaften)

Duration: since 2023

Further information can be found here.

Self-organization and horizontal binding forces: local authorities in ancient Judaism from the 6th century BC to the 1st century AD

Direction: Prof. Dr. Barbara Schmitz (Chair of Old Testament and Biblical Languages)

Horizontal binding forces, state regulation and local civil society: the city of Rome and western Asia Minor in the late Republic

Direction: Prof. Dr. Rene Pfeilschifter (Chair of Old History)

Monasticism and local self-organization: monastic letters, horizontal binding forces, and urban community in late antiquity

Direction: Prof. Dr. Jan Stenger (Institute of Classical Philology)

Duration: since 2023

Further information can be found here.