JGU FACES
EARTH SYSTEM MODELINGWater-related research of international relevance
Groundwater, a dynamic system involved in multiple interactions, is a global concern. Professor Robert Reinecke of Mainz University, through his digital models of global water resources, is making a significant impact on our understanding of this crucial resource. His contributions to the annual United Nations' State of Global Water Resources report, published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), are shaping the global discourse on water management.
SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY"We need a thorough shake-up of our global energy industry"
Professor Carsten Streb and his team at the Department of Chemistry of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed a molecule that is capable of storing solar energy and releasing it whenever required. Their pioneering work represents a possible solution to the worldwide energy crisis.
POLITICAL ANTHROPOLOGYDisciplined empathy as an important tool in highly political times
For over a decade, Franziska Fay conducted research on the Zanzibar Archipelago. There she worked with child protection organizations, children in primary and Koranic schools, was a guest lecturer at Zanzibar University, and advised international aid organizations. After completing degrees in Frankfurt and London, she was appointed Junior Professor of Political Anthropology at the Department of Anthropology and African Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in 2021.
MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGYThe search for causes of neurodegenerative diseases
In spring 2021, the Faculty of Biology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) was lucky to acquire a specialist in the field of neurodegenerative disorders – Professor Dorothee Dormann. A cell biologist and biochemist by training, she is an expert in identifying the molecular processes that underlie conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and has already won several awards for her research.
GUTENBERG ALUMNIThe never-ending story of equal rights
She was the first State Commissioner for Women in Rhineland-Palatinate and the first politician of the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to be appointed Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees, and Integration. She made important contributions as a Minister of State in the cabinet of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and in the Federal Foreign Office, acted as National Chairwoman of the Frauenunion, the CDU's women's organization, and today is President of the German Commission for UNESCO. From her years at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), where she started studying in 1968, she has taken with her important impulses for her later public offices and tasks.
TURKIC STUDIESTurkic Studies – a minor subject with major themes
The division of Turkic Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is in a period of transition. A second professor is currently being recruited, and new, independent degree courses will soon be launched. Professor Julian Rentzsch, who was appointed to Mainz University in 2017, is structuring and supervising this process.
NEUROBIOLOGYHow flies and humans see the world
Professor Marion Silies joined the Faculty of Biology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in early 2019. Here she has been investigating the organization and function of circuits in the visual system of the fruit fly. Her work has already earned her numerous awards.
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY"Research always involves a major biographical aspect"
Veronika Cummings was appointed Professor of Human Geography at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in 2017. Her current research focuses on social, cultural, and political aspects of migration. In these fields she can also draw from the experiences and insights she collected during her time in Singapore and the Sultanate of Oman – and on her return to Germany.
FORENSIC PHYSICSWhen fatal stabbing becomes a scientific experiment
In 2017, Stefan Axmann came to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the Mainz University Medical Center to establish a forensic physics department. It attracted a lot of attention from the media at the time, which was keen to report on the new facility, the first of its kind in Germany. The physicist himself likes to talk about his enthusiasm for his work and explains how he ended up in Mainz.
GUTENBERG ALUMNIA long winter in Antarctica
Physicist Dr. Benjamin Eberhardt from Mainz is living and conducting research at the South Pole for an entire year. Together with his colleague Dr. Kathrin Mallot, he is overseeing the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. The observatory is operated by an international consortium in which Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is a major participant.