More than 50 new professorships
© TUDO, RUB, UDE
The four Research Centers and the College of the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) have established a new research hub in the Ruhr region, a renowned science metropolis. To date, 27 top international scientists have chosen to pursue their careers at UA Ruhr, joining one of its three partner universities: Ruhr University Bochum, Technical University of Dortmund, or University of Duisburg-Essen. Altogether, the centers and the college will create more than 50 new research professorships.
Since 2022, the University Alliance Ruhr has been advancing its cutting-edge international research through its centers and the college, united under the Research Alliance Ruhr. Two renowned Humboldt Professors are among the distinguished researchers who have accepted appointments in the Ruhr region: Prof. Dr. Edvardas Narevicius and Prof. Dr. Dana Branzei. Prof. Dr. Narevicius joined the Research Center for Chemical Sciences and Sustainability in 2022 as the Humboldt Professor for Ultracold Reactions, moving from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Prof. Dr. Branzei will join the Research Center One Health Ruhr in April 2025 as the Humboldt Professor for Biological and Genomic Treatment Approaches. Until then, she will continue her work as a scientist at the AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology in Milan.
Furthermore, the new appointees include scientists who have worked at various Max Planck Institutes (Dr. Amelie Heuer-Jungemann, Prof. Dr. Nils Köbis, Prof. Dr. Christian Liebscher, Prof. Dr. Lucia Melloni, Prof. Dr. Daniel Neider, Prof. Dr. Caspar Schwiedrzik, and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Bilal Zafar) or at elite international universities such as Stanford University (Prof. Dr. Xijie Wang), Cambridge University (Prof. Dr. Jatinder Singh), and ETH Zurich (Prof. Dr. Alexander Marx). For eight of the new appointees, starting their research activities in North Rhine-Westphalia involves relocating to Germany, while twelve have moved to the Ruhr region from other federal states.
Key criteria for filling the more than 50 new professorships under the umbrella of the UA Ruhr include demonstrated scientific excellence and potential for interdisciplinary collaboration. The professors are appointed to one of the three universities, thereby also strengthening the respective faculties of their fields. The College for Social Sciences and Humanities successfully launched an international Senior Fellowship Program in 2023, and the second cohort of researchers is currently in residence. The program offers outstanding international researchers in the social sciences and humanities the opportunity to pursue independent research projects and collaborate with tandem partners from the University Alliance Ruhr during a six-month fellowship.
The innovative structure of the UA Ruhr has elevated the collaboration among Ruhr University Bochum, Technical University of Dortmund, and University of Duisburg-Essen, which has been in place since 2007, to a new level. This advancement is driven by the decision to establish centers of excellence that transcend faculty boundaries and to attract both internationally renowned researchers and emerging talents to the Ruhr region. These efforts create outstanding career opportunities for exceptional scientists from around the globe. The UA Ruhr offers ideal conditions, including competitive facilities, academic staff support, and reduced teaching commitments.
The Research Alliance Ruhr was initiated by the Ruhr Conference of the North Rhine-Westphalia state government and is funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science.