News — University of Bonn

How can science benefit from AI?¹

Researchers from chemistry, biology, and medicine are increasingly turning to AI models to develop new hypotheses. However, it is often unclear on which basis the algorithms come to their conclusions and to what extent they can be generalized. A publication by the University of Bonn now warns of misunderstandings in handling artificial intelligence. At the same time, it highlights the conditions under which researchers can most likely have confidence in the models. The study has now been published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science.

Mathematician investigating stochastic processes²

How does water move through a filter with coffee? This question is not so easy to answer, as neighboring areas in the moist coffee powder influence each other. How the hot water moves through the roasted powder is also governed by stochastic processes. Answers are provided by what are known as “percolation models,” which mathematician Dr. Alexis Prévost is investigating. He joined the University of Bonn from the University of Geneva and now leads an Emmy Noether group. It is being provided with up to 1.3 million euros of funding by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

H2-Reality Check: EU targets for 2030 probably not achievable³

Hydrogen is considered an important part of the EU's and Germany's climate neutrality strategy. Significant progress is required for the ramp-up, otherwise the targets might not be met. A report by CASSIS and EWI analyses the status of the ramp-up.

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Opening Up: Volkswagen Foundation Funds Two Projects at the University of Bonn⁴

Not one but two projects at the University of Bonn—on queer Islamic theology and culinary sensory analysis—have each been awarded funding of around €300,000 as part of the Volkswagen Foundation’s Open Up program. The aim of the Open Up funding initiative is to explore entirely new fields of science.

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Lena Funcke from the University of Bonn Awarded the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize⁵

Clausius Junior Professor Dr. Lena Funcke from the University of Bonn is one of ten researchers to receive the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize from the German Research Foundation (DFG). The prize, each endowed with €200,000, is considered by the DFG to be the most important award in Germany for researchers in the early stages of their careers.

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Bring on the portr[AI]ts!⁶

They have achieved great things – but their faces are often unknown: The exhibition "Missed Images" presents forgotten female scientists with realistic portraits, without ever having been photographed in this way. With the help of artificial intelligence, photographer Gesine Born created these images to honor important women and their achievements. Starting Thursday, April 10, 2025, at the initiative of the University of Bonn's Equal Opportunities Officer, Gabriele Alonso Rodriguez, twelve of these images will be on display at the Bonn University Museum.

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PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence Invites You to Attend a Career Fair⁷

The PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence Career Fair is all about connecting the artificial intelligence (AI) and agriculture experts of tomorrow with high-profile non-academic employers. Students, doctoral candidates and graduates of the University of Bonn are invited to expand their network of professional contacts on May 9 from 1 pm to 6 pm.

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Stefan Grimme once again among the most cited researchers worldwide⁸

Prof. Dr. Stefan Grimme, theoretical chemist at the University of Bonn, is one of the “top ten” most cited researchers worldwide according to a recent evaluation by the platform topresearcherslist.com.

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