FAU Magazin

Dear readers,

Innovation, diversity and passion: Those are the three guiding principles of our FAU, as stated in our mission statement. But what use are guiding principles that are just written down in a strategic document but are of no significance in real life? At FAU, we live these guiding principles every day in all that we do – in research, in teaching and when it comes to sharing the knowledge created at our University with society, whether in partnership with companies, in start-ups or in dialog with people from the region.

This, the second issue of our FAU magazine, underlines all of the above: It shows researchers who tirelessly keep pushing the boundaries of what has been believed to be possible, whether this involves developing an entirely new type of prosthetic or the hunt for neutrinos in perpetual ice. It introduces students who work together to achieve outstanding results for their FAU – like the Formula Student team, whose electric racing car is their pride and joy. It talks about teaching staff who pass on their knowledge with infectious enthusiasm and creativity, for instance the winners of our teaching awards. And it reports back on members of staff with foresight and a talent for getting to the crux of the matter who are dedicated to improving the (research) infrastructure at FAU.

Of particular importance to the success of our FAU are people who are there for their University and who campaign tirelessly for our research location. Read the interview with the chair of our University Council Roland Busch, Siemens CEO and FAU alumnus, to discover the fascination FAU has for him. Follow a conversation between Humboldt professor Michaela Mahlberg and Bavaria’s Science Minister Markus Blume to discover what Bavaria needs to thrive as a research location. And find out what Andrea Bréard’s plans are as the new Vice President Education of FAU.

As you can see, it is always the people who make a place come to life. Once again this year, we would like to dedicate the following pages to them and their achievements.

I hope you enjoy reading,

Unterschrift von Joachim Hornegger

 

 

 

 

Joachim Hornegger, President of FAU

englisch cover: students working on the fau racing car

 

FAU Magazine: download

Innovation

Alessandro Del Vecchio is developing neuro-orthoses that will enable paralyzed people to grasp in the future. This involves a sensor device that recognizes the person's movement intentions and implements them using a wearable exoskeleton.

From the beginning of his career, Andreas Mackensen has been investigating how the immune system can be manipulated to attack cancer. He is now also fighting autoimmune diseases with genetically modified immune cells.

Most people are familiar with classic forensics from TV crime dramas. FAU Professor Felix Freiling is an expert in IT forensics and helps to put a stop to criminals in the digital world.

Nature uses messenger substances to transmit information. Engineer Robert Schober and a number of research groups from very different scientific disciplines are investigating how this can be used for medical therapies and in technology.

Five instead of eight – FAU has redefined its key research priorities. Anja Boßerhoff and Georg Schett explain in an interview why the University has taken this step and the process behind it.

Armin Nagel has a great passion: using images from the human body for diagnostic purposes. To this end, he wants to establish a new magnetic resonance imaging procedure.

FAU and the start-up incubator ZOLLHOF have a good chance of being recognized as "Startup Factories" in the federal government's competition. In this interview, Kathrin Möslein and Benjamin Bauer explain their concept and how they will make the leap from incubator to ZOHO Factory.

Magnetic resonance imaging has revolutionized the diagnosis of diseases. Michael Uder, Director of Radiology at Erlangen University Hospital, wants to make the technology usable in places where it is not yet possible - for example in developing countries. In 2023, he received the German Future Prize for his work.

When children come to the pediatric clinic with abdominal pain, the often laborious search for the cause begins. Ferdinand Knieling is researching a new, minimally invasive diagnostic method based on ultrasound as part of an ERC Starting Grant at FAU University Hospital. A flying visit to the pediatric clinic.

In an elaborate digitization project, Udo Andraschke wants to contribute to making the academic collections in Germany what they once were: contact points and transfer zones for researchers from all disciplines.

At High-Voltage Motorsports e.V., everything revolves around high speeds and precision, as students develop their own racing cars in the club's workshop in Tennenlohe.

Providing playful information about serious illnesses and opening up new ways of communicating with patients: This is what the "Fighting Lupus" app, developed by Sandra Jeleazcov and Benedikt Morschheuser, can do.

Diversity

What significance does the EELISA alliance have for FAU? Joachim Hornegger, Johanna Hojer and Melanie Viebahn in conversation.

Silvia Budday is researching how our brain reacts to mechanical forces. She has been funded for this with an ERC Starting Grant since 2024. The young mechanical engineering professor sees no contradiction between being a scientist and a mother.

Japan, USA, Germany: regardless of which country he lives and researches in, neuroscientist Tomohisa Toda wants to find out what makes our brain's nerve cells robust.

Passion

Science Minister Markus Blume and language researcher Michaela Mahlberg on Bavaria's High-Tech Agenda, digital technologies and the role of social media.

Without sustainably produced hydrogen, the energy transition is in danger of failing. Its production requires catalysts that are subject to high levels of stress. Karl Mayrhofer and three other researchers are therefore looking for robust and inexpensive accelerators for such reactions.

Astrophysicist Anna Nelles eavesdrops on neutrinos in the Greenland ice sheet. She hopes that this will give her new insights into processes in space.

Prof. Andrea Bréard is the new Vice President Education. In this interview, she explains how she wants to reduce disadvantages at FAU, what Educational Integrity is all about and what role AI can play in teaching.

Biologist Jennifer Munkert and mechanical engineer Marcel Bartz have been awarded this year's “Prize for Good Teaching” by the Bavarian Ministry of Science.

Roland Busch, Siemens CEO and Chairman of the University Council, on his studies in Erlangen, the potential of FAU and what physics has to do with corporate management.

What used to be a bleak, deserted space in the Lange Gasse is now the WiSo oasis. However, the path toward the shared garden was anything but easy. It all began with an unusual email and blossomed into a project that made a lasting change to life at our uni.

“It was an ugly piece of land, unuse...

Spotlight

Karl Mandel has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant worth two million euros. The chemist intends to use the funding to develop superparticles that provide information about the state of materials.

Aline Bozec is the spokesperson for the new Collaborative Research Center/Transregio 369 “Dione - Inflammation-induced Bone Degeneration”. The CRC investigates why and how inflammatory diseases affect the bones.

Benoît Ladoux is a biophysicist and Alexander von Humboldt Professor at FAU. He investigates how cells react to physical influences - which is interesting for cancer research, for example.

Lawyer and sinologist Eva Pils is an excellent expert on Chinese society. As an Alexander von Humboldt Professor, she wants to make human rights research at FAU even more visible.

Grażyna Baranowska has been Professor of Migration Law and Human Rights at FAU since 2024. She wants to contribute to interdisciplinary research at the Center for Human Rights Erlangen-Nuremberg.

As a Humboldt Professor at FAU, Michaela Mahlberg searches huge text corpora for patterns that show what moves people. Environmental protection, for example.

 


Imprint FAU Magazin

German Design Award WinnerOutstanding!

The FAU Magazine has won the German Design Award 2025. It is “Winner” in the category Excellent Communications Design, Editorial.

The German Design Award is the premium award of the German Design Council. With its worldwide spectrum and international appeal, it is one of the most prestigious awards in the design landscape across all industries. 16 nationalities are represented on the jury of the German Design Award 2025. It is made up of renowned design experts from business, education and science as well as the design industry.

Publisher

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität
Erlangen-Nürnberg
Schlossplatz 4, 91054 Erlangen

Project lead

Blandina Mangelkramer, Silke Sauer

Editorial concept

FAU Stabsstelle für Presse und Kommunikation: Blandina Mangelkramer, Boris Mijat

Editorial team

Boris Mijat, Matthias Münch

Design concept, picture editorial and production management

FAU Brand Office: Silke Sauer, Silke Vöhringer

Design

zur.gestaltung, Nürnberg

Lecture

Peter Werther, Wortfindung – Susanne Hofmann

Print Production

Druckhaus Haspel Erlangen e.K.

Date of publication

November 2024