German Research Foundation (DFG) provides funding for research training groups
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) has achieved a fourfold success in the current selection round of the German Research Foundation (DFG). All four research training groups that applied for funding have successfully obtained funding for an initial period of four years, including a new research training group that focuses on human-system interfaces.
User-friendly human-system interfaces
Research training group 3222 “Human-in-the-loop codesign of human-system interaction” (coHu), is a brand new research training group that researches user-friendly human-system interfaces. The aim is to design technology that works intuitively, safely and reliably. To do so, coHu combines two concepts: Human-in-the-loop design – users are involved in testing and influencing the technology from an early stage – is combined with a co-design approach – working together to develop hardware and software. Three research fields are investigating methods for improved interaction, mutual adaptation between humans and machines, and communication between the two. The focus is on robots in health care (e.g. exoskeletons, surgical robots). Researchers from the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology are carrying out interdisciplinary research using modern equipment and involving an innovative training program for early career researchers.
High-resolution remote sensing for investigating the Alps
The joint research training group 2680 “KoRaTo” (Cooperative synthesis of apertures for radar tomography) between FAU and Ulm University is exploring a new measuring concept for tomographic radar imaging. Using a method known as cooperative synthesis of apertures, multicopters equipped with radars are coordinated in a Distributed Sensor Network to act like one single large radar system. This opens up new possibilities for high-resolution remote sensing. In the coming funding phase, KoRaTo will focus on merging the methods and radar concepts created to date into complex, integrated systems and on researching future applications. The focus is on new sensory abilities for mapping geophysical parameters, for instance through multistatic radar imaging, interferometry and tomography. The aim is to study temporal processes in the cryosphere and biosphere and generate unique datasets. The measurement campaigns focus on alpine glaciers and investigating vegetation on alpine slopes.
The sentimental in literature, culture and politics
Research training group 2726 “The sentimental in literature, culture and politics” investigates the forms and functions of the sentimental in a wide spectrum of objects – from literary texts to productions from popular culture to political rhetoric. The sentimental is understood as communicative and a means of forming relationships and not merely sentimentality. Rather, the sentimental code has been shown to be capable of forming community, encouraging political opinion-forming and creating solidarity. We are researching the sentimental from an interdisciplinary perspective – both in terms of culture-specific manifestations and transcultural patterns – while developing systematic approaches to the subject area. The disciplines involved in the research training group are American studies, English studies, media studies, political science, Chinese studies and sociology.
How the body defends against infection
The research training group 2740 “Immune microtope: Microenvironmental, metabolic and microbial signaling for the regulation of immune cell-pathogen interaction” focuses on the question of which microenvironmental factors and metabolic products influence the progression of a bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection and how this alters the protective immune response at the location of the infection. One of the aims of the research training group is to develop new approaches for treating chronic infections based on the characterization of the immune microtope. RTG 2740 provides an interface between immunology, microbiology, infection research and bioinformatics. The latest methods in high-resolution imaging, metabolomic analysis, bioinformatics and mathematical modeling are used. Research training group 2740 includes researchers from Uniklinikum Erlangen and FAU, as well as one project manager from the University of Regensburg and one from University Hospital Cologne.
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