Announcements

Industrielle Farben und Pigmente belasten die Umwelt in nicht unerheblichem Maße. Ihre Herstellung ist häufig energieintensiv und ressourcenaufwendig. Ein Forschungsverbund aus Wissenschaft und Industrie möchte dies ändern. Unter der Leitung von Christoph Wittmann, Professor für Systembiotechnologie an der Universität des Saarlandes, sollen Bakterien dazu gebracht werden, Farbpartikel aus Nebenströmen der holzbasierten Zellstoffherstellung zu produzieren. Start ist am 1. März 2026. [...]

Interleukin-1 alpha ist ein Botenstoff, der vor allem für die Steuerung von Entzündungsreaktionen in unserem Körper verantwortlich ist. Ein Forschungsverbund der Universität des Saarlandes und der TU Dresden möchte herausfinden, was genau an der Innenwand von Blutgefäßen vonstattengeht, wo IL-1 alpha eine Rolle bei Entzündungen der Blutgefäße spielt, die bislang nur wenig erforscht wurde. Die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft fördert das Projekt ab dem Herbst 2026 mit rund 500.000 Euro. [...]

Artificial intelligence today is largely based on statistical methods that search for patterns in large amounts of data. So far, AI cannot recognise causalities, meaning it cannot understand how cause and effect are related in the same way that humans can. Computer science researcher Sara Magliacane wants to change that. Saarland University has now appointed her Professor of Machine Learning. [...]

Starting 1 March, Bergita Ganse will be the new university professor in experimental musculoskeletal medicine at the Department of Surgery at Saarland University. Previously, the physician held the temporary Werner Siemens Endowed Professorship for Innovative Implant Development at the Homburg campus. Her areas of expertise include smart implants, fracture healing and immobilisation of injured body parts, as well as performance decline in old age and space medicine. [...]

Advanced dosage forms and current trends in drug development, infectious disease research and alternatives to animal testing are some of the topics at the heart of the 'Controlled Release meets BioBarriers' conference, which will be held at Saarland University's Saarbrücken campus from 3–6 March 2026 and is expected to draw more than 200 scientists from around the world. The event will bring together leading international experts alongside early-career pharmaceutical researchers. [...]

Over 40,000 years ago, our early ancestors were already carving signs into tools and sculptures. According to a new analysis by linguist Christian Bentz at Saarland University and archaeologist Ewa Dutkiewicz at the Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte (Museum of Prehistory and Early History) in Berlin, these sign sequences have the same level of complexity and information density as the earliest proto-cuneiform script that emerged tens of thousands of years later, around 3,000 B.C.E. [...]

This year's Mathematics Day will take place at Saarland University on Saturday, 14 March 2026. The competition is open to students in years 11 and 12 at grammar schools and years 12 and 13 at comprehensive schools who enjoy solving mathematical puzzles. It will begin at 9:30 a.m. on the Saarbrücken campus. Please register by 6 March by emailing TdM@math.uni-sb.de [...]

For two days, experts from academia, politics and industry will discuss the key questions shaping the future of the European steel industry. On 25 and 26 February, the inaugural 'Saarland Steel Talks' will take place at the Saarland Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy in Saarbrücken. [...]

During the winter semester, Saarland University is once again hosting public lectures. The lectures for the upcoming week will be announced here. The planned lecture dates can also be found in the event calendar on the university's homepage. [...]

Twins can help science understand whether our lives are more strongly influenced by genetic factors or environmental factors. Researchers, including Saarland University Professor Frank Spinath, are building a nationwide twin registry for studies exploring these questions. Spinath is looking for twins of all ages who are willing to participate in scientific studies. Twins interested in participating can register in the Gertrud portal, where they can view upcoming studies. [...]