News in research and teaching

Scientists from Saarland University, RPTU Kaiserslautern–Landau, VIB-VUB Brussels and collaborating institutions have discovered that important enzymes in our cells, known as peroxiredoxins, can combine more flexibly than previously assumed. The discovery shows how cells create molecular diversity and fine-tune stress responses.
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Am 11. März kann der Professor für Soziologie an der Universität des Saarlandes und Begründer der Kooperationsstelle „Hochschule und Arbeitswelt“ Dr. Hans Leo Krämer seinen 90. Geburtstag begehen. [...]

Innovative materials could help to reduce the energy consumption of electrical devices, allowing drones to fly longer and e-bikes to travel further. By introducing components made from metallic glass into electric motors, researchers aim to minimize energy losses during motor operation. Professor Ralf Busch and his team at Saarland University have developed new alloys for just this purpose. [...]

Werner Pitsch has been appointed Professor of Sociology of Sport. The sports scientist has been working at Saarland University since 2005 and will now take up the five-year fixed-term professorship until his retirement. Pitsch conducts research on a wide range of topics in sociology of sport and is considered a pioneer in the application of randomized response technology in sports science. [...]

Fraudulent emails are currently in circulation requesting students at Saarland University to pay alleged tuition fees. The message claims that outstanding fees of €350 must be transferred at short notice, otherwise the matter will be referred to a “legal department”. The email contains a request to transfer money to an external account and to send proof of payment to an email address that does not belong to the university. [...]

Frank Mücklich, Professor of Functional Materials at Saarland University, will give a lecture on material surfaces that can be used in the medical field and have also been tested in outer space. The lecture is a part of the University Society's science forum and will take place on Wednesday, 18 March at 6 p.m. in the 'Aula' assembly hall (Building A3 3) on the Saarbrücken campus. [...]

On 12 and 13 March, experts from around the world will gather at the Europa-Institut at Saarland University to discuss legal issues relating to sexual identity, human dignity and social diversity from an international perspective. The conference, entitled Sexual and Gender Minorities in International Law and European Union Law, is being held to mark the retirement of Professor Thomas Giegerich, long-time co-director of the Europa-Institut. [...]

A Saarland University study is taking a look at how courts and IT experts might handle smart contracts in the future – before a real case is even on the docket. Researchers and legal professionals simulated a court case as a part of a project entitled Industry 4.0. On 18 March at 3 p.m., the Institute for Legal Informatics at Saarland University under the leadership of Professor Georg Borges will present the simulation study 'Smart Contracts' in Frankfurt am Main. [...]

Time Magazine recently published a university ranking comparing 500 universities worldwide based on scientific performance, innovation and international engagement. Saarland University ranked 144th worldwide and 10th among German universities, 44 of which are included in the ranking. [...]

The protein IMP2 plays a pivotal role in tumour growth. A research team led by Professor Alexandra K. Kiemer from Saarland University has discovered that when immune cells, known as macrophages, produce this protein in the immediate vicinity of cancer cells, the tumour grows faster under laboratory conditions. The team suspects that the protein makes it easier for macrophages to infiltrate the tumour and promote its growth. [...]

Each summer semester, Saarland University offers prospective students the opportunity to try out studying in the so-called orientation programme. The programme allows students to attend regular courses in their desired subject for one semester without pressure to earn certain grades. The orientation programme is free of charge and interested students can register until 31 March on the programme’s website: [...]

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. [...]

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. [...]

Jobseekers should be careful making political statements online. Saarland University researchers found that HR managers are influenced by whether and how someone expresses their political views – especially if they lean towards extreme political fringes. If the political opinion of the recruiter is contrary to that of the applicant, their job prospects decrease. These findings were described in a Saarland University study that was recently published in the Journal of Business and Psychology. [...]

With crewed missions planned to the moon and, in the medium term, to Mars, gaining a better understanding of how longer periods of spaceflight affect the human organism is becoming increasingly critical. Researchers are therefore studying the effects of prolonged stays in space on mammalian organisms using data collected on the International Space Station (ISS). [...]

Children's hospice work provides families in extremely challenging situations with expert support and compassionate care. The financing of children's hospice work is only partially covered by the existing systems. In Homburg, the official start of construction was marked for Germany's first combined children's and adult hospice. [...]

The Faculty of Law at Saarland University does not impose any restrictions on the use of AI in academic assignments – not even for term papers and seminar papers. However, students are still required to complete their work independently and use AI responsibly. With their upcoming study, the Faculty of Law aims to support students in meeting these requirements from the outset while also researching AI systems. Prof. Georg Borges, who focuses on IT law, is looking for law students from Germany... [...]

Plastic from straw: that is the essence of a project that Christoph Wittmann's Systems Biotechnology team at Saarland University has been pursuing since early February in collaboration with partners from academia and industry. In the LiGNUM project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, bacteria will be engineered so that they can convert a by-product from straw-pulp production into the basic building blocks for nylon and Perlon. [...]

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. [...]

Fundamental breakthroughs in the natural sciences are rare. Progress is usually made in small steps, with knowledge slowly accumulating as more pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Now, however, chemists at Saarland University have made a major breakthrough: they have synthesized a stable molecule that chemists worldwide have been seeking – unsuccessfully – for decades. Their discovery has now been published in Science. [...]

Anyone who builds furniture or doors wants to use lightweight materials that are both stable and durable. That’s where wood fibres come into play. Similar to corrugated cardboard, wood fibres can be shaped into different wave heights. Hans-Georg Herrmann, Professor of Lightweight Systems at Saarland University, is working with the company Homanit to develop a new high-performance material system that can be implemented in various contexts. [...]

On 5 May, Saarland University will once again offer companies the opportunity to introduce themselves to students and young researchers from all departments and connect with potential skilled workers early on. Spaces for exhibition stands are still available. Companies interested in participating can visit the 'next' campus fair website: www.uni-saarland.de/next [...]

Sixty years ago, Catholic bishops and cardinals convened in Rome at the Second Vatican Council to adapt and reorient the church to a changing world. Since 2016, more than 150 scholars have been researching what the Council has achieved worldwide to date – and what it has not. Among them is Urszula Pękala, who has been a Professor of Church and Theological History at Saarland University since 2025. [...]

Conventional lithium-ion batteries contain problematic substances such as nickel and cobalt, and the solvents used to coat the electrode materials are also toxic. Materials scientists at Saarland University are therefore working to develop environmentally friendly alternatives. By introducing finely dispersed iron oxide into tiny, highly porous, hollow carbon spheres developed by Professor Michael Elsaesser at the University of Salzburg, the Saarbrücken team has achieved very promising results. [...]

Hans-Jürgen Lüsebrink, professor of Romance Languages and Literature at Saarland University, has been awarded the Prix d'Histoire du Gouverneur Général du Canada. The prize is one of Canada's highest academic honours and was awarded for Lüsebrink’s biography of French-Canadian journalist and intellectual Paul-Marc Sauvalle (1857-1920). [...]

Woman, man, non-binary? The social construct of gender determines many aspects of our lives: from the name we receive at birth and the clothes we wear to the education we receive. Gender is deeply personal and at the same time politically controversial. It therefore may come as a surprise that analytic philosophy has paid little attention to the concept of gender. Viktoria Knoll, a researcher at Saarland University, is fundamentally examining gender with around one million euros funding. [...]

Microplastics are a major environmental concern. These tiny plastic particles can now be found everywhere – in rivers, seas and on land. Not only are they highly persistent, they are also suspected of being toxic to living organisms – and thus pose a threat to ecosystems and to human health. In a joint project funded by the EU and the Saarland state government, Saarland University and htw saar are researching ways to remove these difficult-to-degrade plastic particles efficiently from water.
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Amid all the current geopolitical crises, climate change has slipped somewhat from the public radar. Yet it remains one of the most significant long-term threats to human coexistence on Earth. A major contributory factor is the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO₂), which accelerates global warming. [...]

Mental health problems among young people have risen sharply. Many have developed fears about the future in the wake of the Covid pandemic, the climate crisis and global conflicts. This makes it all the more important to support young people in managing stress and mental health challenges – and to help them build and maintain mental resilience. [...]

The war in Ukraine is a polarising issue – not only among political parties, but also among individual citizens. Martin Ulrich, a sociologist at Saarland University, has used Austrian data to show that Austrians' party preferences lead to significant differences in their assessment of how important peace in Europe is for Austrian politics and what they think of refugees.
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Am Donnerstag, 12. Februar, um 18.15 Uhr hält Urban Wiesing, Professor für Ethik in der Medizin an der Universität Tübingen, einen Gastvortrag zum Thema: „Assistierter Suizid in Deutschland: Was ist erlaubt?“. Der Vortrag im Rahmen der „Paul-Fritsche-Stiftung Wissenschaftliches Forum“ findet auf dem Homburger Campus im Hörsaalgebäude der Medizinischen Fakultät statt (Geb. 35, Hörsaal 1). Alle Interessierten sind herzlich eingeladen. [...]

Under the title ‘Elections in south-western Germany – between state issues and a federal government stress test', the German Political Science Association (GPSA) is hosting an online discussion on 12 February from 12–1 p.m. It will be moderated by Georg Wenzelburger, who is a member of the GPSA executive committee and professor of political science at Saarland University. [...]

Following their re-election by the University Senate, Saarland University's four incumbent vice presidents will continue their work supporting President Ludger Santen. The Senate re-elected with a large majority Professors Jutta Kray, Dominik Brodowski, Robert Ernst and Raimund Seidel for a further term of two years. [...]

Am 25. Januar kann die frühere Direktorin des II. Physiologischen Instituts der Universität des Saarlandes und Sprecherin des Sonderforschungsbereichs 246, Prof. Dr. Irene Schulz-Hofer, in Frankfurt ihren 85. Geburtstag begehen. [...]

What services does the Saarland University and State Library (SULB) offer? What do the library rooms look like and how does borrowing books work? Find out by joining an open tour of the library beginning 2 February 2026. The tours of the SULB will take place every Monday at 2 p.m. and last around one hour. Registration is not required. [...]

'Crises at home – expectations abroad? Franco-German responsibility for Europe's future' is the title of this year's European Podium on Thursday, 29 January 2026, at 6.30 p.m. in the Rathausfestsaal in Saarbrücken. The panel discussion features speakers from Germany, France and another European country and takes place every year as part of Franco-German Week. Please register by 28 January. [...]

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. [...]

Starting in the winter semester 2026/2027, WOGE Saar will begin renting out the new student residences it built on the campus of Saarland University. These and other planned student halls of residence aim to provide an attractive option for first-year students, who generally begin studying in the winter semester and often have difficulty finding affordable accommodation at the start of their studies. Available units will be available for short-term rental during the summer semester [...]

From how course materials are created to new exam formats to developing novel skills, artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally changing the educational landscape. Teaching Day 2026 is dedicated to this topic and offers space for creative approaches, critical reflection and practical examples from university teaching. It will take place on 23 January 2026 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Innovation Center (Building A2 1) at Saarland University. Media representatives are welcome. [...]

What do the European Commission's latest plans mean for data protection? Will the planned changes make the law easier to implement, or will it lose its teeth? This year, the Institute for Legal Informatics at Saarland University will once again provide a platform for discussing current topics with the public lecture series 'Data Protection Law in Practice'. Eleven German state data protection commissioners, all recognized experts in the field, will speak on data protection during the series. [...]

The global skin care company Beiersdorf and the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) on the Saarbrücken university campus have entered into a long-term, exclusive partnership. In this collaboration they aim to investigate the role of the skin microbiome in maintaining healthy skin. The goal is to identify natural products produced by microorganisms on the skin that have a positive effect on skin balance. [...]

Vom 21. bis 25. September 2026 findet die zweite Summer School des Käte Hamburger Kollegs für kulturelle Praktiken der Reparation (CURE) in der Villa Vigoni – Deutsch-italienisches Zentrum für den europäischen Dialog am Comer See statt. Sie beschäftigt sich mit dem Thema „Beyond Division / Über die Spaltung hinaus“ und fragt nach kulturellen Praktiken, in denen Spaltungsprozesse bearbeitet, aufgelöst oder verhindert werden können. [...]

Mattias Kettner has been appointed as the new Professor of Forensic Medicine at Saarland University. His research centres on reconstructing violent crimes using forensic techniques. This includes, among other things, bloodstain pattern analysis at crime scenes and employing imaging technologies to capture and digitally reconstruct crime scenes for use in criminal proceedings. [...]