News — University of Bonn

Secure your places now!¹

The University of Bonn is cordially inviting all graduates to the Universitätsfest 2025! Taking place on the Hofgarten lawn on Saturday, July 5, the open-air event promises a truly festive atmosphere and program. Prior registration for this year’s event is obligatory and open from March 15 to June 1.

Moral Theologian Jochen Sautermeister Appointed to German Ethics Council²

President of the German Bundestag Bärbel Bas has appointed Jochen Sautermeister, a moral theologian at the University of Bonn, to the German Ethics Council. With retrospective effect from March 1, 2025, the 49-year-old succeeded Armin Grunwald, whose term of office ended on February 13, 2025.

The Future of Peace: Focusing on Post-War Societies³

Following two successful intensive programs over the past few winters, which looked at current challenges in Eastern Europe and research in exile, the Cologne/Bonn Academy in Exile (CBA) is now considering the question of how societies can be shaped after a war is over with its first-ever spring school. The event will give researchers in the fields of law, politics, history, cultural studies, philology and linguistics the opportunity in lectures and rounds of discussions to grapple with the issue of peace and post-war societies on March 24 and 25, 2025.

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Podcast: Finding optimal solutions together⁴

As the AEI’s IT & digitalization officer, Mats Liedhegener serves as the faculty’s digitalization manager. As part of this role he is responsible for IT governance development within the faculty, coordinates internal IT and digitalization requirements, functions as general contact and specifically as contact person regarding central University IT structures and addresses research infrastructure issues. Liedhegener visited us for the employee podcast series on digitalization management at the University. A text summary is provided here; the podcast is available from the usual podcast sources, and a link is provided below.

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Transfer-Oriented Research for Practical Purposes⁵

The Competence and Research Unit for Intervening in, Preventing of and Coming to terms with Abuse of Power and Sexualized Violence (the “IPA Hub”) will begin its work in the Department of Moral Theology at the University of Bonn’s Faculty of Catholic Theology on May 1, 2025. It will engage in interdisciplinary cooperation and with networks of partners in Germany and abroad from academia, the private sector, the Church and society to tackle key challenges posed by the abuse of power and sexualized violence in transfer-oriented research and make its findings accessible on a practical level.

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Postdoc Day 2025 – The Broad Spectrum of Bonn’s Science Landscape⁶

PhD – and then what? Germany’s research landscape includes a wide variety of institutions, ranging from universities and universities of applied sciences to world-renowned research centers. The Postdoc Day 2025 on Thursday, April 3, 2025, 12:30 p.m. - 18.00 p.m. offers postdocs and PhD candidates in the final phase of their doctoral studies a unique opportunity: you can explore the work of numerous non-university research institutions that are members of the Bonn Research Alliance (BORA). These institutions will introduce themselves at a “market of opportunities” and through short presentations. Additionally, many service units of the University of Bonn will showcase their support services for early-career researchers.

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"Science needs facts, not emotions"⁷

Climate change threatens the existence of many people and ecosystems. In view of the scientific findings, many researchers are also worried about the future. Should they talk openly about their feelings? In the new episode of the Hypothesis Podcast, climate researcher Prof. Dr. Lisa Schipper from the Department of Development Geography at the University of Bonn discusses the thesis “Science needs facts, not emotions” with host Denis Nasser. This episode is in English.

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Modern Study Hall and Lounge⁸

The Chemistry Department Library reopened in late February of 2025 upon completion of extensive modernization and interior design work. The library has been transformed into a contemporary learning space that meets the needs of today’s students. Along with its books and journals, the library now offers some 65 variously configured individual and group workstations equipped with modern technology.

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