Exzellente Ideen II

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom is becoming increasingly important. There is a need to progressively develop and research further aspects of teacher-specific competences for dealing with AI. The planned research activities of the junior research group aim at identifying such support needs and addressing them in future teaching, so that prospective teachers are best equipped to constructively use the potential of AI and LLM in their future profession, taking into account the risks, so that ultimately students benefit from the research. It is important to focus on a critically reflective evaluation of the quality of products (e.g. plans or even teaching materials) generated by generative AI. The junior research group will specifically address this task in the area of physics and mathematics education, with the aim of scaling the results to all or in all STEM education.

Ideally, the junior research group will strengthen the doctoral program of the Professional School of Education (PSE) on the topic of AI technologies. The junior research group will also be integrated into the activities of the M!ND Centre and will work in close cooperation with the Chair of Physics and its Didactics and the Chair of Mathematics Education.

Participating chairs/institutes: Chair of Physics and its Didactics and Chair of Mathematics Education

The current rise in antisemitism and the public debate about Israel require an in-depth historical analysis of the origins and development of antisemitism. Greeks and Romans were most influential in shaping the prejudices, clichés and patterns that have been applied again and again to Jewish ethnicity and religion up to the present day. Research usually distinguishes ancient hostility towards Jews from religiously motivated Christian antijudaism and the ethnic-racist antisemitism of modern times. Until now, scholars have been hesitant to speak of antisemitism in antiquity. But does this really reflect the ancient phenomena? Although the differentiation highlights shifts in emphasis in anti-Jewish discourse, it blurs the continuity of the recurring accusation that the Jews were a foreign element and a danger to the respective society. By analyzing the relevant patterns of thought and action, the Junior Research Group aims to contribute to a better understanding of current societal conflict constellations.

Participating chairs/institutes: Chair of Ancient History, Chair of Church History of Antiquity, Christian Archaeology and Patrology, Chair of Greek Philology and Chair of Old Testament Studies and Biblical-Oriental Languages

The junior research group is jointly supported by the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science. The research will focus on the potential influence of AI on access to justice. To a certain extent, access to justice depends on the social position of a party. In addition, court proceedings in Germany, like in many other countries, are associated with various obstacles like high costs and complex procedural formalities. Besides, German and foreign judiciaries are overburdened because there is a lack of staff and financing. As a result, many legitimate legal positions are not enforced. In the digital age, AI has the potential to address these problems. AI is already increasingly changing dispute resolution processes around the world. However, this is especially true for standardized and less complex legal cases. It is therefore of importance to investigate, if and how AI can be used in more complex cases and how AI could improve access to justice in general.

Participating chairs/institutes: Chair of Civil Law, German and European Commercial and Company Law and Chair of Computer Science IX - Human Computer Interaction in cooperaton with Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (CAIDAS)

Reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) is one of the biggest challenges of our time. The transportation sector accounts for more than a fifth of global GHG emissions. To reduce mobility-related GHG emissions, the aim is to switch to emission-neutral or low-emission means of transport (green mobility) and to better integrate existing mobility solutions (smart mobility). The acceptance and willingness of the population plays a key role here, which must be focused on in a transdisciplinary as well as interdisciplinary approach.
The junior research group will think about the topics of green and smart mobility together and tackle interdisciplinary challenges in collaboration with colleagues from the social sciences and computer science. By combining ideas and methodologies from both fields including e.g. agent-based and data-driven simulation, mathematical optimization, game theory, mechanism design and theory-driven empirical research the team will address novel research questions in the domain of green and smart mobility.

Participating chairs/institutes: Chair of Computer Science I - Algorithms and Complexity, Chair of Computer Science XI - Modeling and Simulation and Chair of Quantitative Methods of Empirical Social Research in cooperation with sustainability laboratory WueLab

Light-induced excitations have many applications in spectroscopy, microscopy, materials analysis, light sources and lasers, photovoltaics, supramolecular chemistry, sensor technology, quantum technologies, and more. Their fundamental study is a profile-forming topic in both faculties. The junior group shall connect to collaborative projects. Possible directions include, but are not limited, to:

1) Spectroscopy with non-classical light. This comprises novel methods in which complex quantum systems (molecules) are investigated using quantum degrees of freedom of light, such as entanglement and photon statistics.

2) Polariton-driven nonlinear optics. The dependence of polaritonic states on the light degree of freedom should make it possible to generate novel light-driven functionalities in molecular devices, such as bistabilities or modified ground states. The research group might address the production of devices and their spectroscopy.

Participating chairs/institutes: Chair of Physical Chemistry I and Chair of Experimental Physics V

“Sustainability in Translation” provides a completely new perspective on the emerging field of translation cultures, focussing on historical key texts, such as the Bible. The Junior Research Group gains its particular originality from combining translation studies and sustainability research for the first time. Ground-breaking results can be expected for both disciplinary fields: Translation research will be reorganised by developing criteria for the sustainable use and conservation of resources and for the regenerative potential of translations as well as their impact on social transformation processes.

Which translations are received on a long-term, inclusive and socially beneficial basis, which ones prevail over competing versions, are inscribed in our cultural memory and even achieve a higher degree of dissemination than their original(s)? How do media, markets, constellations, stagings, narratives, norms, justification strategies and expectations of reception influence the sustainability of translations?

The underlying concept offers benefits to sustainability research by historicising its objectives and self-critically reflecting on unintended contradictory effects. The project focuses in particular on the following concerns of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 4 ‘Quality Education’, 5 ‘Gender Equality’ and 10 ‘Reduced Inequalities’ and reveals their historical backgrounds, continuities and possible ambiguities. The phenomena of diversity and marginalisation in the history of translation offer a revealing field of investigation.

The Junior Research Group Leader should strengthen the historical-philological research profile of the Julius-Maximilians-University (JMU) in the humanities and work together with the Würzburg Centre for Classical and Ancient Studies (WAZ) and/or the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MFN).

Participating chairs/institutes: Chair of Classical Philology II, Chair of History of Philosophy, Chair of Old Testament Studies and Chair of German Philology

T and B cells generate unique receptors or antibodies that recognize a vast range of antigens. This diversity enables antigen-specific immune responses to infections and vaccines, but also contributes to autoimmunity and inflammatory diseases when self-antigens are targeted. At the same time, this capacity is being harnessed to redirect self-reactive immune responses to fight tumors. Advanced methods combining clonal immune cell analysis with genome editing and multi-omics approaches allow the mapping of key microbial and self-epitopes, providing deep insights into the human immune system. Isolating monoclonal antibodies and T cell receptors targeting microbial epitopes, and tracking them in patients, will help unravel mechanisms of immunological memory and protection, and the triggers of infection-induced autoimmunity. This knowledge will aid in developing vaccines and immunotherapies for infections, autoimmunity, and cancer, and improve responses to future viral pandemics.

Participating faculties/chairs: Faculty of Medicine and Chair of Microbiology