Research at the Faculty

Working at XPSResearch at the Faculty of Engineering is of paramount importance, in addition to teaching, and it attracts both national and international attention. Spectacular research findings and involvement in a variety of successful cooperations with companies and other research institutes verify the supreme standard of the scientists themselves as well as the students involved in their research. The results of the research show great potential for practical application in industry and in science. The Faculty of Engineering’s very high level of third-party funding associated with this proves the appeal of researchers from Kiel.

Outstanding third-party projects include, among others, the two Collaborative Research Centers

  • CRC 1261 "Magnetoelectric Sensors: From Composite Materials to Biomagnetic Diagnostics" ( Link ) and, approved in 2020, the
  • CRC 1461 "Neurotronics: Bio‑inspired Information Pathways" ( Link ).

 

Three out of five ERC grants in Schleswig-Holstein were awarded to two female scientists and one male scientist from the Faculty of Engineering, and back in the 90s Professor Hackbusch received the DFG’s Leibniz Prize!

On top of this, many more scientists from the Faculty of Engineering are regularly awarded various prizes within the fields of international science and the successful transfer of knowledge and technology. Several technology and knowledge-based ventures from the university have already established themselves on the market and document the success of scientific work in research.

The Faculty of Engineering participates in the following interdisciplinary research projects:

Materials for Brain

Materials for Brain

Thin film functional materials for minimally invasive therapy of brain diseases.

The treatment of patients with chronic brain diseases is mainly based on systemic drug treatments. Sufficiently large drug concentrations in the brain are often accompanied by side effects affecting other organs in the body. Neural implants, which allow localized and individualized therapy, are an alternative solution if they can satisfy the following requirements: they must be compact, biocompatible, resilient and highly flexible, particularly when used in kids and teens. Defined, nano-scale, therapeutically active coatings as well as suitability of the implants for diagnostics with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can open up new prospects for novel therapies.

In order to reach these goals, micro-structured, functional materials based on thin film technology will be investigated for innovative local treatment of epilepsies, brain tumors and vascular diseases. Material-controlled drug release and implant interactions with cells will initially be studied using cell cultures. Subsequently, the effect of the implants on specific structures and functions of the brain will be investigated in disease-related animal models by histological and in vivo approaches by MRI and functional tests (behavioral tests, electroencephalography).

Website Materials for Brain

Future Ocean

Future OceanThe ocean covers more than two thirds of our planet. Even so, we know more about the surface of the moon than about the depths of the seas. This, in spite of the fact that mankind's future lies in the world's seas. They will determine the climate of tomorrow across the entire globe – and are already suffering from the advance of global warming. New raw materials and energy sources can be found on the seafloor – how can we exploit them? Many marine organisms may harbour the secrets to cures for diseases – if they are still around tomorrow.

Website Cluster of Excellence "The Future Ocean"

Kinsis (Kiel Nano, Surface and Interface Science)

KinsisDetails, only a millionth fraction of a millimetre small: This is what Kiel University's research focus "Kiel Nano, Surface and Interface Science" (KiNSIS) is busy investigating. In the nano cosmos, other than in our macroscopic world, the rules of quantum physics apply. In KiNSIS, material scientists, chemists, physicists, biologists, electrical engineers, information scientists, food scientists and physicians work closely together. They aim at understanding systems in the nano dimension and turning knowledge into applications. Molecular machines, novel sensors, bionic materials, quantum computers, advanced therapies and much more can emerge from this endeavour.

Website Kiel Nano, Surface and Interface Science (KiNSIS)

Inflammation at Interfaces

Inflammation At InterfacesChronic inflammmation, triggered by dysfunctions on the boundary surfaces of the body’s organs and their interaction with the environment, represents a central challenge for modern medicine. It is considered to be the cause of many chronic diseases, which have been steadily increasing in recent decades – especially in western industrialized countries.

The goal of the Cluster of Excellence in Inflammation Research is to decode the molecular basis of chronic inflammatory diseases, as well as the complete identification of metabolic and signaling pathways as an approach to therapies and prevention.

Website Cluster of Excellence in Inflammation Research

Kiel Life Science

Kiel Life ScienceThe newly founded interdisciplinary centre for applied life sciences – Kiel Life Science (KLS) – links up research from the fields of agricultural and nutritional sciences, the natural sciences and medicine at Kiel University. It forms one of four research foci at Kiel University, and is aimed at achieving a better understanding of the cellular and molecular processes with which organisms respond to environmental influences. This covers a very broad spectrum: how agricultural crop plants adapt to specific growth conditions, or how, in the interaction of genes, individual lifestyle and environmental factors, illnesses can arise. Within this framework, health is always viewed holistically in the evolutionary context.

Website interdisciplinary centre for applied life sciences – Kiel Life Science (KLS)

Human Development in Landscapes

Human Development in LandscapeTo gain an understanding of human development, one needs to detail the interactions between mankind and both its physical and perceived environment. Graduate training and research already emphasizes interdisciplinary research involving both Arts and Humanities and Natural Sciences on this topic at Christian-Albrechts-Universität (CAU). This is exemplified by numerous graduate projects in Natural Sciences that have been, and are, tackling archaeological problems, while, at the same time, cultural studies and archaeology provide important clues and directions for scientific analysis.

Website Graduate School Human Development in Landscapes

Kiel Marine Science

Kiel Marine ScienceThe ocean, with its dominating influence on the global climate, its role as raw material provider and its high-risk potential, plays a key role for humankind around the world. In return the ocean is greatly influenced by human activity such as CO2 emission, over fishing and ocean pollution. The marine and geoscientists at the Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel (CAU) contributes to a better understanding of the processes and the development of strategies for a sustainable use and conservation of the ocean system within the framework of the interdisciplinary ‘Kiel Marine Science’.

Website Kiel Marine Science