In this strategic research area, researchers investigate the properties of molecules up to complex nanostructures and cell mechanics, work on topics related to language and communication in the digital age, and deal with questions of physics, earth sciences, chemistry, mineralogy, the life sciences, mathematics, computer science and medicine.
Complex Matter
When they are combined, individual building blocks can produce completely new properties. The Complex Matter strategic research field was established to investigate and exploit these properties. It brings together professors from the Faculties of Physics and Earth System Sciences, Chemistry and Mineralogy, Life Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science, and the Faculty of Medicine. From their respective standpoints, they investigate the elementary properties of individual objects – from tiny ions and molecules to complex nanostructures. In this way, they can develop functional units from complex matter such as sensors, catalytic converters and electronic components. One example of where the work of researchers from physics and chemistry overlaps with the biosciences is in the field of cell mechanics, where scientists are investigating how and why a cell changes due to disease.
The Complex Matter research profile area combines excellent basic research with fascinating applications. The researchers are grappling with major challenges that can only be overcome through cooperation between disciplines hitherto regarded as independent, and by closely aligning the experimental with the theoretical.
Currently, approximately 50 doctoral candidates receive excellent, structured postgraduate training at the Graduate School Building with Molecules and Nano-objects (BuildMoNa), which forms part of the research profile area.
- Centre for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BBZ)
- Faculty of Life Sciences
- Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy
- Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
- Faculty of Physics and Earth System Sciences
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)
- Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering (IOM)
- Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS)
- Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences (MPI MiS)
- Faculty of Medicine
- Saxon Incubator for Clinical Translation
DYNAMO – DYnamic control in hybrid plasmonic NAnopores: road to next generation multiplexed single MOlecule detection
Prof. Dr. Ralf Seidel (Peter-Debye-Institute for Soft Matter Physics)
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Federal Ministry of Education and Research
- Competence Center for Scalable Data Services and Solutions Dresden/Leipzig (ScaDS Dresden/Leipzig)
Scientific Coordinator: Professor Wolfgang E. Nagel (TU Dresden)
Deputy: Professor Erhard Rahm (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science)
Learn more - XEOL-ID – Identifizierung von Defekten durch elementspezifische Anregung optischer Lumineszenz
Project director: Professor Claudia Sarah Schnohr (Faculty of Physics and Earth System Sciences, Felix Bloch Institute for Solid State Physics)
Learn more - HrichGPa – High-Pressure Reactions for the Production of Hydrogen-Rich Hydrides as a Path to New Superconductors
Project director: Professor Holger Kohlmann (Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry)
Learn more - UltraSPEC2 – Ultrakompact Spectrometer
Project director: Prof. Dr. Marius Grundmann (Faculty for Physics and Earth System Sciences, Felix-Bloch-Institute)
learn more - RaQuEI – Room Temperature Quantum Sensors for Electromobility
Project director: Prof. Dr. Jan Berend Meijer (Faculty for Physics and Earth System Sciences, Felix-Bloch-Institute)
Learn more - CoGeQ – Competetive German Quantum Computer
Project director: Prof. Dr. Jan Berend Meijer (Faculty for Physics and Earth System Sciences, Felix-Bloch-Institute)
Learn More - metsigon – Metal Single Crystal Gas Pressure and Flow Cells for Operando Neutron Diffraction
Project director: Prof. Dr. Holger Kohlmann (Faculty for Chemistry and Mineralogy, Institute of inorganic Chemistry)
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Federal Ministry for Economic affairs and climate action
- b-ACT matter – Research and Transfer Center for biactive Matter
Project director: Prof. Dr. Tilo Pompe (Faculty for Life Sciences, Institute for Biochemistry); Prof. Dr. Frank Cichos (Faculty for Physics and Earth System Sciences, Felix-Bloch-Institute, Peter-Debye-Institute for Soft Matter Physics)
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State Ministry of Science and Cultural Affairs of Saxony
- Biocatalysts for the recycling of polybutylene succinate (PBS) bioplastics
Project director: Dr. Georg Künze (Institute for Drug Design, Faculty of Medicine)
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Language and Culture in a Digital Age
Language and Culture in a Digital Age is a new research profile area designed to foster research cooperation between the humanities and computer science.
The main objective of this profile area is the establishment of research alliances to analyse forms of language and culture in the digital age, to apply methods of digitisation and to examine their significance in the present. The area sees itself as a useful bridge between computer science on the one hand and the humanities and social sciences on the other. The department sees itself as a bridge between computer science and the humanities and social sciences. It is also engaged in a critical discussion of methodological principles, the establishment of productive communication and jointly fathoming new forms of research, teaching and innovative publication.
Methods for the digital representation and analysis of sources in the humanities and social sciences (such as texts, images and music) are being applied and advanced. Just as important is a consideration of the significance of increasing digitisation for materials and analyses, processes of knowledge and culture transfer, and analyses of linguistic expression and language acquisition in educational processes.
Research is also carried out from the perspective of general and single-language linguistics, for example into the formal representation of language, its diversity, processing, and individual language use and acquisition. A variety of collaborations between computer science and the humanities receive a high level of external funding.
The “Forum for Digital Humanities Leipzig” (FDHL) was founded in 2018 to provide long-term and sustainable support for existing activities and projects.
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Life Sciences
- Faculty of History, Arts and Area Studies
- Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Philosophy
- Kustodie
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI EVA)
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (MPI CBS)
- Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences (MPI MiS)
- Faculty of Philology
- Faculty of Theology
- University archives
- University Library
- Faculty of Economics and Management Science
RU 5171: Cyclic Optimization RU 5171
Spokesperson: Dr. Jochen Trommer (Institute of Linguistics, Faculty of Philology)
Cyclical structure building and optimization are two central areas of research in grammar theory, but only a fraction of the research on these mechanisms involves their interaction. Researchers at the Institute of Linguistics are investigating the empirical coverage of models combining cyclicity and optimization, and aim to extend this to a comprehensive representative subset of grammatical phenomena and to tap the full theoretical potential of these approaches. The individual subprojects of the research group investigate the interactions between all grammatical modules (morphology, syntax, semantics and phonology), and systematically compare different cyclic optimization approaches for the same or closely related types of empirical data. An additional computational linguistics sub-project investigates abstract, formal properties of cyclic optimization approaches across the boundaries of grammatical sub-domains.
Emmy Noether Junior Research Group: Grammatical Strength in Prosodic Morphology: Typology and Theory
Project director: Dr. Eva Zimmermann (Institute of Linguistics, Faculty of Philology)
The aim is to examine whether and to what extent the phonetic representations that encode our linguistic knowledge are gradient. The research programme is founded on the hypothesis that asymmetries where apparently identical phonological elements behave differently is due to differences in their gradient strength.
Horizon Europe
- OpenWebSearch.EU – Piloting a Cooperative Open Web Search Infrastructure to Support Europe's Digital Sovereignty
Project director: Prof. Dr. Martin Potthast (Institute for Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science)
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Mathematical and Computational Sciences
This research profile area covers mathematical and computational sciences in the broad sense: the dovetailing of mathematics, theoretical physics and computer science with natural sciences and medicine.
There is a particular focus on structural questions that arise directly from challenges in the natural sciences. These include exact mathematical models for physics, standardisations of field theories, limits of predictability, the nature of chance and computability, self-organisation of living matter, the structure of large networks, and how to handle large amounts of data. One goal is the identification of new applications.
Researchers in this profile area are for example involved in the International Max Planck Research School “Mathematics in the Sciences”, and the Center for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence “ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig”. A variety of collaborations receive a high level of external funding, and their successes have been internationally recognised with the award of the Humboldt Professorship for Artificial Intelligence to Professor Sayan Mukherjee.
- Faculty of Life Sciences
- Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy
- Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
- Faculty of Physics and Earth System Sciences
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics
- Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering (IOM)
- Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS)
- Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences (MPI MiS)
- Faculty of Medicine
- University Computing Centre
Strong Dynamics and Criticality in Quantum and Gravitational Systems (RTG 2522)
Spokesperson: Prof. Holger Gies (Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Friedrich Schiller University Jena)
Co-Spokesperson: Prof. Stephan Hollands (Institute for Theoretical Physics, Faculty for Physics and Earth System Sciences)
The aim of Research Training Group 2522, “Strong Dynamics and Criticality in Quantum and Gravitational Systems”, is to investigate and compute the emergence of complexity in gravitational and quantum field theories starting from their foundations. The working groups concentrate on examples of physical topicality or conceptual relevance, such as gravitational wave phenomena and black holes on the gravity side, and dynamics and criticality near phase transitions on the quantum side. The RTG is run in cooperation with the Friedrich Schiller University Jena.
Heisenberg-Professorship: PEAR – Principles of Expressive Argumentation
Prof. Dr. Ringo Baumann (Institute of Computer Science, Faculty of Methematics and Computer Science)
Emmy Noether Junior Research Group: The Quantum Stress-Energy-Tensor
Leitung: Dr. Daniela Cadamuro (Institute for Theoretical Physics, Faculty for Physics and Earth System Sciences)
This Emmy Noether project aims to investigate the role, structure and properties of the stress-energy tensor in quantum field theories with self-interaction. The main question is whether quantum energy inequalities (QEIs) can exist in these areas.
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Federal Ministry of Education and Research
- Center for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Dresden/Leipzig (ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig)
Scientific Coordinator: Professor Wolfgang E. Nagel (Dresden University of Technology)
Deputy: Professor Erhard Rahm (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science)
Learn more - SMITH – Smart Medical Information Technology for Healtcare
Project director: Prof. Dr. Markus L?ffler (Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidimiology)
learn more - SmartBWL – Smartphone-assisted behavioral therapy for weight loss in adults with severe obesity
Project director: Prof. Dr. Anja Hilbert (Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Center)
learn more - 6G Health
Project director: Prof. Dr. Markus L?ffler (IFaculty of Medicine, Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidimiology)
learn more - GeMTeX MII – Cross-consortia use case of the medical informatics initiative: Automated processing of German clinical texts
Project director: Prof. Dr. Martin Boeker / Prof. Dr. Markus L?ffler (IFaculty of Medicine, Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidimiology)
learn more - PrivateAIM – Privacy-protecting analytics in medicine
Project director: Prof. Dr. Toralf Kirsten (Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidimiology)
learn more - NUM DIZ – Network of data integration centers of university medicine
Project director: Dr. Thomas Wendt (Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidimiology)
learn more - SO-SERVE – Social Service Engineering - Using synergies between work and service science to improve work on and with people
Subproject: Technical requirements analysis, design and testing of a framework concept for human-centered and efficient service work
Project director: Dr. Stefan Kühne (University Computing Center)
learn more - K-M-I – Artificially and humanly intelligent: Competence center for transformed work in Western Saxony
Subproject: SKi-based data management and data analysis in the pilot projects
Project directors: Prof. Dr. Erhard Rahm (Institute of Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science); Dr. Stefan Kühne (University Computing Center); Dr. Christoph Augenstein (Information Systems Institute, Faculty of Economics and Management Science)
learn more - MANGAN – Intelligent metadata extraction and intuitive search for spoken audio content
Project director: Dr. Stephan Klingner (University Computing Center)
Learn more - LiquidInfo – AI-assisted information processing and transformation for meetings and presentations with the LiquidInfo-Box
Project director: Dr. Stephan Klingner (University Computing Centre)
mehr erfahren - tech4compKI – Verbundprojekt: Zentrale Steuerung, didaktische Modellierung, Wissensmodellierung und Datenanalyse für E-Assessment
Projektleitung: Prof. Dr. Heinz-Werner Wollersheim (Erziehungswissenschaftliche Fakult?t, Institut für Bildungswissenschaften)
Learn more - Junior Research Group: TOP – Development of a terminology- and ontology-based phenotyping framework (within the framework of SMITH)
Project director: Dr. Alexander Uciteli (Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidimiology)
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Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
- Artificial Intelligence for Clinical Studies
Project director: Professor Thomas Neumuth (Faculty of Medicine, Innovation Center Computer Assisted Surgery – ICCAS)
Learn more - KliNet5G – Clinical Network via 5G
Project director: Prof. Dr. Thomas Neumuth (Faculty of Medicine, Innovation Center Computer Assisted Surgery – ICCAS)
learn more - MoLeWa – Regional Transformation Network - Development and Implementation of a Regional Transformation Strategy in the Automotive and Supplier Industry and Industry-Related Service Sectors in the Transformation Region Leipzig
Project director: Prof. Dr. Bogdan Franczyk (Faculty of Economics and Managment Science, Institute for Information Systems)
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Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport
- TeleNoma – Telemedizinische Anwendung auf Basis nomadischer Funknetze
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr. Thomas Neumuth (IMedizinische Fakult?t, Innovationszentrum für Computerassistierte Chirurgie – ICCAS)
Mehr erfahren - Tri5G – Trimodale 5G Pionierregion Leipziger Nordraum LOGISTIK-IT-AUTOMOTIVE für Unternehmen / ?ffentliche Dienste / Forschung & Entwicklung
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr. Bogdan Franczyk (Institut für Wirtschaftsinformatik, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakult?t)
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Saxon State Ministry of Science and the Arts
- Establishment of a SpiNNaker2 cluster for cutting-edge research at Leipzig University
Project director: Prof. Dr. Jens Meiler (Institute for Drug Design, Faculty of Medicine)
learn more - Transfer Technologies for the Validation of Proteine- and Peptide Therapeutics
Project director: Jun-Prof. Dr. Clara Schoeder (Institute for Drug Design, Faculty of Medicine)
Learn more - Smart Regional Development Infrastructure
Project director: Professor Gerik Scheuermann (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science)
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Alexander von Humboldt-Professorship for Artificial Intelligence
Sayan Mukherjee has received the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship for Artificial Intelligence in 2022. The mathematician, statistician and computer scientist has taken up his professorship at the Center for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (ScaDS.AI) Dresden/Leipzig in May 2022, and has also established a research group at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences. His expertise in topological data analysis is expected to pave new ways in the analysis of biological and medical data, opening up an innovative branch of research in precision medicine.
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International Max Planck Research School “Mathematics in the Sciences” (IMPRS MiS)
The doctoral programme offers junior researchers a broad spectrum of mathematical fields, including geometry, partial differential equations and functional analysis, stochastics, and discrete mathematics. The IMPRS MiS is run by the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, the Institute of Mathematics, the Institute of Computer Science and the Faculty of Physics and Earth Sciences.