Goethe-Universität — Press releases

Dec 9 2025

11:47

Team of archaeologists from Goethe University Frankfurt returns from excavation in Iraq with new insights into the period 1,500 years ago

Evidence of interfaith coexistence in the Near East

It seems that Christians and Zoroastrians in the fifth century lived peacefully side by side in what is today Iraq. A team of archaeologists from Goethe University Frankfurt was able to corroborate this during three years of research work.

FRANKFURT. The team of archaeologists led by Dr. Alexander Tamm (FAU, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg) and Prof. Dirk Wicke (Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt) has returned from its field research in northern Iraq without artefacts, but with many new insights. Over the past months, the ten-strong team has examined a building complex at the Gird-î Kazhaw site in the Kurdistan region of Iraq (Picture 1). The structure, which was first discovered in 2015, was probably built around 500 AD. Its purpose had, however, so far been unclear.

Five square pillars made of quarry stone, partly plastered with white gypsum, had suggested that it might be a church (Picture 2). Geophysical investigations had revealed more walls underground, so that this “church" was initially believed to be part of a larger monastery. In particular its relationship to a settlement mound directly adjacent, with a small Sasanian fortification dating from the 5th to 6th century AD, is still unexplained. This fortification is overlaid by an Islamic cemetery.

This year, the team from Frankfurt began its excavations in late summer in two areas: a surface excavation around the pillars (Area A) and an exploration of the Islamic cemetery (Area B), with a focus on anthropological documentation. They uncovered brick walls and floors made of rammed earth and later also of stones and broken bricks relatively close to the surface in Area A. The discovery of further stone pillars, which points to the existence of perhaps a three-nave structure with a central nave running in a north-west to south-east direction, as already evidenced in early Christian religious architecture in this region, was a huge surprise. The size of the central nave, presumably 25 by 5 meters, is unusual (Picture 2). Whether the adjacent rooms indeed form monastery buildings will, however, call for further research in coming years.

The discovery, also in Area A, of a room with a floor made of neatly laid, fired bricks, with the outline of a semicircle at its north-western end (Picture 3) was equally surprising. Apart from the architecture, the main indication that the buildings were used as a Christian meeting place is the discovery of decorated pottery depicting a Maltese cross (Picture 4). The early dating for a church building into the fifth to sixth century AD is not unusual in the region, as there are comparable structures in northern Syria and northern Mesopotamia. (An international workshop on this topic took place in Frankfurt on October 24–25, 2025.)

Particularly relevant to research on religious neighborhoods, such as will be conducted in the future as part of the LOEWE Center “Dynamics of Religion" approved from 2026 onwards, is the proximity to the Sasanian fortification described above. Should the two buildings indeed date from the same period, this would suggest that Zoroastrians, followers of the religious founder Zarathustra, and Christians lived side by side at that time. Establishing when exactly the people in Kazhaw converted to Islam, as evidenced by the Islamic graves (see Picture 5), is also part of the research agenda.

The excavations in Kazhaw are part of a larger research project by Dr. Tamm and Prof. Wicke on rural communities and settlements in the Shahrizor Plain in northern Iraq. To date, archaeological research has paid little attention to rural and small towns; it has mostly focused on the capital cities of ancient empires. The latter were undoubtedly the engine for cultural development in antiquity, but it was the rural regions that created the economic basis for the supply of goods. Without this basis, cultural life in the cities would have been impossible. Work in Kazhaw will continue next year and focus more on the economic infrastructure, this time using archaeometric methods, in particular archaeobotany, zoology and forensic anthropology. The aim is to study what life was like within the excavated walls.

Picture download: https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/181309490

Captions:
Picture 1: Excavation site Gird-î Kazhaw in the foreground; the modern village of Bestansur in the background.
Picture 2: Brick pillars in Area A.
Picture 3: Room with brick floor in Area A.
Picture 4: Pottery fragment with carved, cross-shaped decoration.
Picture 5: Excavation of a grave in Area B.

Image credits: DFG project Rural Settlements of the Sasanian Period, Tamm/Wicke

Publication (prior to excavation): Dean Mahmoud, Alexander Tamm, Dirk Wicke, Sasaniden im Nordirak. Vorläufiger Bericht zu den Ausgrabungen in Gird-î Qalrakh 2023–2024, in: Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient Gesellschaft Nr. 157, 2025; 117 bis 159

Further information
Professor Dirk Wicke
Institute of Archaeological Sciences
Goethe University Frankfurt
Telephone: +49(0)69-798-32317
Email: wicke@em.uni-frankfurt.de

Editor: Dr. Anke Sauter, Referentin für Wissenschaftskommunikation, Büro für PR & Kommunikation, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Telefon 069 798-13066, Fax 069 798-763-12531, sauter@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de

Dec 5 2025

14:30

Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space supports CoFoKids Junior Research Group at Goethe University Frankfurt

How Young People Want to Move Around

“From the 'Backseat Generation' to Pioneers of the Mobility Transition?" – Under this thought-provoking title, a new junior research group at Goethe University is exploring how children and adolescents are mobile in public spaces, what perspectives they bring to shaping urban street design, and how they can be involved in transportation transformation processes. The young people themselves will play a central role in the research

FRANKFURT. The project, which is now getting underway, focuses on the mobility of young people, particularly children and adolescents aged six to 15. Human geographer Sina Steele from Goethe University and Heike Marquart from the Institute of Transport Research at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) successfully secured funding for the junior research group titled “From the 'Backseat Generation' to Pioneers of the Mobility Transition? Mobility Practices, Spatial Design, and Participation of Children and Adolescents as Co-Researchers for a Social-Ecological Transformation of the Region" (CoFoKids) from the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). The group, which consists of a team of three doctoral students and two post-docs, has been awarded €3.2 million for the next five years to investigate how mobility research and planning focused on children and adolescents, as well as their involvement in transformation processes, can advance the mobility transition and contribute to sustainable and resilient urban-rural regions for all residents. The research is specifically designed to actively involve young people as co-researchers within a transdisciplinary living lab operated together with two Frankfurt schools as well as various local and regional stakeholders. It is this group, after all, that knows best what is needed for their generation to become part of their region's social-ecological transformation.

Sina Steele has been passionate about mobility for quite some time. Having studied geography, she completed a master's degree in human geography with a thesis on walking and spatial conflicts on Frankfurt's Schweizer Straße. Her doctoral research, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, focused on car-reduced neighborhood developments and how the planning visions of these mobility concepts align with the expectations and practices of residents. Now she is turning her attention to younger generations and their needs. The 34-year-old researcher firmly believes: “What children and adolescents want for public spaces ultimately benefits everyone."

Before exploring the wishes and ideas of children and adolescents, the project will first examine how the complex mobility of children and their families is organized – or rather, how families manage their everyday travel. This is the focus of the first of three project areas, each led by a doctoral researcher. Under the theme “Mobility Practices," the project will investigate how children and adolescents are mobile in their daily lives and how active and independent mobility can be encouraged, both on the way to school and for leisure trips. “Of course, decisions are not made in isolation; they depend on transportation options and personal circumstances," Sina Steele explains. They are also influenced by the behavior of the adults involved.

The second focus area, “Planning Practices," examines the ideas children and adolescents have about the design of the routes and spaces they use and how these ideas can be better integrated into planning processes. This area is led by project partner Heike Marquart, a transportation researcher at the German Aerospace Center in Berlin. Finally, the third focus area, “Participation Practices," will develop formats to better involve children and adolescents in mobility transition processes.

“We want to understand how transformation processes in transportation, as well as life events or social influences, impact the mobility of young people and how their voices can be amplified in these processes," says Sina Steele. She emphasizes that there is no need to start from scratch, as in recent years especially, significant progress has been made in this field. As such, young people were involved in developing Frankfurt's pedestrian strategy, and so-called “Schulstrassen" featuring temporary restrictions on or closures for motor vehicle traffic have been expanded across the city. Steele hopes to build on these and similar initiatives to create synergy effects. Events like the city's Mini Mobility Festival have shown that children often prioritize the quality of public spaces: less trash, reduced traffic, or safer crossings. Taking all suggestions seriously and carefully considering them, according to Steele, would constitute a true paradigm shift. Transferring the findings from Frankfurt to the Rhine-Main region and Berlin is also part of the plans.

The Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) is funding this project as part of its “Research for Sustainability" (FONA) strategy under funding code 01UU2506A.

Further Information
Dr. Sina Steele
Institute for Human Geography
Goethe University Frankfurt
Tel. +49 (0)69 798-35174
E-Mail steele@geo.uni-frankfurt.de

Editor: Dr. Anke Sauter, Science Communication, PR & Communications Office, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt, Tel. +49 (0)69 798-13066, sauter@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de

Dec 3 2025

13:58

Highest levels of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) in Europe – German hotspot identified near Heilbronn

24,000 times more harmful to the climate than CO2: Goethe University measurements reveal SF6 gas emissions in Germany

Using measurements and advanced computer models, an international team led by researchers from Goethe University Frankfurt has pinpointed an emission source for the climate-damaging gas sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) in southern Germany. This regional source of SF6 has not yet been taken into account in Germany's climate balance sheet.

FRANKFURT. Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is a chemically stable, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic gas. It is used all over the world, primarily as an insulating and protective gas in electrical switchgear within medium- and high-voltage engineering. In the past, it was also used in Germany as a filling gas for sports shoes and as an insulating gas in soundproof windows until this application was banned in 2006.

SF6 is the most potent greenhouse gas known to date: One kilogram of it contributes as much to global warming as about 24 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Due to its extreme climate impact, the United Nations requires all its member states to regularly report their SF6 emissions. To date, Germany's greenhouse gas emissions inventory assumed that the majority of SF6 emissions today stem from the disposal of old soundproof windows, during which the gas escapes into the atmosphere.

Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt, in collaboration with European partners, have now demonstrated for the first time that actual emissions from a source in southwestern Germany are likely to be significantly higher than previously estimated. The team led by Professor Andreas Engel from Goethe University's Institute for Atmosphere and Environment has been operating the measurement station at the Taunus Observatory for several years. Since 2023, the observatory has been part of the international measurement network AGAGE (Advanced Global Atmospheric Gas Experiment). “Of all the European measurement stations in the network, we record the highest SF6 concentrations at the Taunus Observatory," Engel reports. “We found this puzzling – especially because the highest values occur during southern airflow." As part of a study initiated and funded by the German Environment Agency to verify the emissions profile using new data and methods, the phenomenon has now been investigated in greater detail.

Researchers subsequently found even higher concentrations in air samples from the ICOS network (Integrated Carbon Observation System) in Karlsruhe. Using atmospheric transport models and a method known as inverse modeling, they were able to apply this top-down approach to spatially pinpoint the emissions. The results showed that the highest emissions come from the Heilbronn region in southwestern Germany, amounting to approximately 30 tons per year or about one-third of Germany's total SF6 emissions. However, the scientists emphasize that these amounts are relatively small compared to global SF6 emissions of around 8,000 tons, of which China alone contributes some 5,000 tons annually.

“This kind of regional distribution of emissions does not align with previous assumptions that emissions primarily stem from the disposal of old soundproof windows," explains Katharina Meixner, lead author of the study published in the journal ACS Environmental Science & Technology – Air. “What stands out, however, is that this region is home to the only SF6 production and recycling facility in Europe that we are aware of." Meixner emphasizes that “only by understanding where emissions in Germany originate can they be properly accounted for and effectively addressed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions." Andreas Engel explains: “Previous scientific studies have already shown that emissions during the production, use, and recycling of highly volatile substances are often harder to avoid and therefore higher than previously assumed."

Through its research, the Frankfurt-based group contributes to validating and complementing bottom-up assessments of emissions, which have so far been primarily based on theoretical assumptions, with top-down emission estimates derived from atmospheric measurements. In addition to SF6, the research group also measures many other halogenated greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances.

Publication: Katharina Meixner, Thomas Wagenhäuser, Tanja J. Schuck, Sascha Alber, Alistair J. Manning, Alison L. Redington, Kieran M. Stanley, Simon O'Doherty, Dickon Young, Joseph Pitt, Angelina Wenger, Arnoud Frumau, Ann R. Stavert, Christopher Rennick, Martin K. Vollmer, Michela Maione, Jgor Arduini, Chris R. Lunder, Cedric Couret, Armin Jordan, Xochilt Gutiérrez Gutiérrez, Dagmar Kubistin, Jennifer Müller-Williams, Matthias Lindauer, Martin Vojta, Andreas Stohl, Andreas Engel: Characterisation of German SF6 emissions. ACS Environmental Science & Technology – Air (2025) https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestair.5c00234

Images for download: https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/140750923

Caption: Measurements of the greenhouse gas SF6 at the Taunus Observatory run by Goethe University Frankfurt on Kleiner Feldberg pointed to an emission source in Germany. Photo: Markus Bernards for Goethe University

Further Information
Professor Andreas Engel
Institute for Atmosphere and Environment
Goethe University Frankfurt
Tel: +49 (0)69 798-40259
an.engel@iau.uni-frankfurt.de
https://www.goethe-university-frankfurt.de/171477419/Apl__Prof__Dr__Andreas_Engel

Bluesky: @goetheuni.bsky.social @icos-ri.eu
Linkedin: @Goethe-Universität Frankfurt @ICOS – Integrated Carbon Observation System

Editor: Dr. Markus Bernards, Science Editor, PR & Communications Office, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt, Tel: +49 (0) 69 798-12498, bernards@em.uni-frankfurt.de

Nov 24 2025

14:14

Collaboration set within Goethe University’s affiliation with the ATHENE National Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity seeks to develop solutions for emerging digital threats.

Goethe University and the Initiative for CryptoCurrencies and Contracts Partner to Advance Transatlantic Cybersecurity Research

Goethe University Frankfurt and the Initiative for CryptoCurrencies and Contracts have signed a Memorandum of Understanding strengthening transatlantic cybersecurity research by accelerating breakthrough research and developing solutions for emerging digital threats affecting European and North American security. Set within the context of Goethe University’s affiliation with the National Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity ATHENE, the cooperation focuses on areas like joint research on AI security, privacy-enhancing technologies, and policy development for responsible technology governance, among others.

FRANKFURT / NEW YORK. Goethe University and the Initiative for CryptoCurrencies and Contracts (IC3) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish closer research cooperation between the Frankfurt-based university and the blockchain research consortium based at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech. The new strategic partnership marks a significant step in advancing transatlantic academic collaboration on critical cybersecurity research.

The MoU lays the foundation for closer institutional ties between IC3 and the National Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity ATHENE – Europe’s largest cybersecurity research center, of which Goethe University is a member. The collaboration will focus on several key areas, including joint research initiatives in cryptography and trusted hardware, AI security, privacy-enhancing technologies, web3 infrastructure development and interfaces with web2, and policy development for responsible technology governance. The partnership also foresees coordinated approaches to European and international cybersecurity standards, facilitating researcher mobility, and identifying opportunities for collaborative funding through European, German, and U.S. research programs.

The MoU aligns with ATHENE’s and Goethe University’s broader strategy to coordinate cybersecurity research across leading European and international institutions, and complements ongoing efforts within Germany’s cybersecurity policy framework, European digital independence initiatives, and transatlantic research coordination. To that end, the MoU will help position ATHENE as a central hub for connecting with leading North American research institutions. Whereas ATHENE and its contributing organizations bring extensive expertise in applied cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and digital infrastructure protection, IC3 contributes significant strength in cybersecurity innovation, policy research, and emerging technology governance. Together, the two institutions aim to accelerate breakthrough research and develop solutions for emerging digital threats affecting transatlantic security. The first joint research activities are planned for early 2026.

Prof. Enrico Schleiff, President of Goethe University Frankfurt: “This agreement underscores our commitment to building strong international research networks to address complex security challenges. Our partnership with IC3 establishes a vital transatlantic bridge for cybersecurity research and policy development. Such collaborations enhance our ability to protect critical infrastructure, promote responsible AI, and sustain open scientific exchange across borders.”

Prof. Greg Morrisett, Jack and Rilla Neafsey Dean and Vice Provost of Cornell Tech: “This partnership exemplifies Cornell Tech’s mission to bridge leading research institutions and foster collaborative innovation on critical global challenges. By establishing these connections with IC3, ATHENE, and Goethe University, we create a transatlantic network that accelerates research on cybersecurity and AI governance – challenges that transcend borders and demand the best minds working together across continents. This collaboration strengthens IC3 and Cornell Tech’s role as a hub for international scientific cooperation grounded in merit and shared values.”

Prof. Michael Waidner, CEO of ATHENE, Professor at TU Darmstadt and Director of Fraunhofer SIT: “This Memorandum of Understanding links Europe’s leading center for applied cybersecurity and AI with one of North America’s most dynamic innovation ecosystems. Together with Goethe University and IC3, we will advance research that strengthens the security and resilience of digital infrastructures on both sides of the Atlantic. This partnership unites complementary strengths in research, application, and policy to deliver practical solutions to today’s and tomorrow’s cyber threats.”

Prof. Haya Schulmann, ATHENE Board Member and Professor at Goethe University’s Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science: “This partnership with Cornell is a strategic step to strengthen ATHENE’s international engagement and position European cybersecurity research within key North American networks. IC3’s expertise in technology and policy complements our applied research strengths. By launching this collaboration now, we’re laying the groundwork for deeper transatlantic cooperation on shared security challenges.”

Prof. Ari Juels, Weill Family Foundation and Joan and Sanford I. Weill Professor at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute and Co-Director of IC3: “This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to advancing cutting-edge research in cybersecurity and AI. By connecting European and North American research communities, we’re strengthening transatlantic scientific cooperation and exploring global security challenges together. The combination of ATHENE’s applied research expertise and IC3’s innovation ecosystem creates exceptional opportunities in areas like cryptography, blockchain security, and responsible AI.”

The Initiative for CryptoCurrencies and Contracts (IC3) is the leading academic research consortium advancing the science and real-world applications of blockchain technology. Based at the Jacobs Institute at Cornell Tech in New York City, IC3 brings together interdisciplinary faculty and students from over a dozen top universities, with expertise spanning cryptography, AI, distributed systems, programming languages, game theory, economics, and technology policy. IC3 has pioneered foundational research in smart contract security, high-performance blockchain protocols, trusted execution environments (TEEs), Maximal Extractable Value (MEV), and decentralized finance (DeFi). IC3 researchers and alumni have created influential tools and foundational concepts, spawned blockchain unicorns, and published research that shapes scientific research, industry practice, and responsible technology governance. For more information, visit initc3.org.

ATHENE is Germany’s National Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity. Established in 2019 by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Arts and Culture (HMWK), ATHENE is a research center of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft with its institutes SIT and IGD and with participation of Technical University of Darmstadt, Goethe University Frankfurt and Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. Today, ATHENE is Europe’s largest and leading research center for cybersecurity, conducting mission-driven, cutting-edge research that delivers measurable impact for government, industry and society.

Further information
Prof. Dr. Haya Schulmann
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
Goethe University Frankfurt
Robert-Mayer-Str. 10
60486 Frankfurt
shulman@em.uni-frankfurt.de
https://www.athene-center.de

Nov 21 2025

14:02

DFG approves new Collaborative Research Centre on educational equity / Funding for three natural science CRC Transregios at Goethe University extended

First Collaborative Research Centre in Educational Sciences

Goethe University is proud to announce a truly unique new Collaborative Research Centre: The first-ever educational sciences Collaborative Research Centre (CRC 1750) is launching under the name [in:just]. Its focus will be on exploring justice and participation within the German education and upbringing system. The German Research Foundation (DFG) also approved the continuation of three CRC Transregios (TRR), in which Goethe University researchers play a key role. These projects involve the mathematical description of complex geometric structures (TRR 326), the study of matter under extreme conditions (TRR 211), and research into the tropopause region of the atmosphere at altitudes between seven and 17 kilometers (TRR 301).

FRANKFURT. Goethe University President Prof. Enrico Schleiff congratulated the researchers on their successful proposal: “A new Collaborative Research Centre is fantastic news for Goethe University – and in this particular case, for educational equity in Germany. I am fully aware of how much energy, creativity, and perseverance are required to prepare such a major project, and the result shows that the effort was definitely worth it. There is an urgent need to explore why educational opportunities in Germany are still not distributed fairly. I wish everyone involved continued success with their exciting and important research. The fact that three extensions for our Transregios have been approved confirms the quality of our research in the natural sciences and mathematics and strengthens our research capabilities within the Rhine-Main Universities alliance."

For the past 50 years, opportunities to participate in education have continued to expand. At the same time, significant inequalities persist in terms of who benefits from these opportunities and how. Children and young people from families with limited educational resources, from migrant backgrounds, and those with disabilities and/or special educational needs are still not adequately reached. This inconsistency within the democratic promise of equal opportunity continues to erode trust in educational institutions.

The new Collaborative Research Center [in:just] 1750 at Goethe University Frankfurt will investigate the causes and contexts behind the persistent inequality in Germany's educational system. To support this work, the CRC will receive a total of €14 million over the next three years and nine months. 31 researchers from diverse disciplines including the educational sciences, sociology, philosophy, political science, law, human geography, and computer science have come together to form an interdisciplinary consortium led by the educational sciences. The spokespersons for the project are Prof. Merle Hummrich and Prof. Vera Moser, both from Goethe University's Faculty of Educational Sciences. Prof. Merle Hummrich focuses on youth and schools, while Prof. Vera Moser, holding the Kathrin and Stefan Quandt Foundation Professorship, works in the field of inclusion research.

The center will adopt multiple perspectives to examine institutionalized processes of participation and recognition involving children, adolescents, and young adults within the German education system. Research topics include teaching in multilingual contexts or addressing students perceived having “behavioral disorders," procedures of caretaking of children and adolescents as well as unaccompanied minor refugees by youth welfare, the impact of gentrification on the quality of regional educational opportunities, the influence of parents' advocacy power, and computer-based decision-making to be analyzed comparatively in education and legal systems. The program also encompasses international comparative research on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and on children's rights, also within intersectional perspectives.
“Within significant societal crises and challenges that we are facing today, we are deeply grateful for this tremendous opportunity to study the upbringing of children and young people in our education system" says Prof. Merle Hummrich. “I find it particularly important to examine how human rights norms impact the daily lives of young people," emphasizes inclusion expert Prof. Vera Moser.

Collaborative Research Centres-Transregios Extended
The DFG also announced the continuation of the following CRC-Transregios, in which researchers from Goethe University play a significant role:

How can highly complex geometric and arithmetic structures be described using simpler spaces? This question is the focus of TRR 326 “Geometry and Arithmetic of Uniformized Structures (GAUS)," which is now entering its second funding phase with a budget of €13.7 million. Mathematicians are applying the principle of mathematical “uniformization," which creates order within complexity: Hard-to-grasp spaces from modern geometry and arithmetic are replaced by simpler models without altering their essential form. A clear example is the surface of a life ring (an elliptic curve): An ant living on this surface can travel either lengthwise or crosswise in a loop, always returning to its starting point. This behavior is reflected in uniformization, represented by a plane covered with a grid – the grid lines illustrate the ant's travel routes extended infinitely. This transformation reveals hidden symmetries, making questions at the intersection of geometry and numbers theory manageable and answerable.

Participating institutions include Goethe University Frankfurt as the lead university, Technical University Darmstadt, and Heidelberg University. Partners include Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz – which, along with Frankfurt and Darmstadt, forms the Rhine-Main Universities (RMU) alliance – as well as Leibniz University Hannover and the University of Münster.

Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Jakob Stix (Goethe University Frankfurt)
Co-Spokespersons: Prof. Jan Hendrik Bruinier (TU Darmstadt), Prof. Alexander Schmidt (Heidelberg University)
Website: https://crc326gaus.de/

Matter under such extreme conditions that even protons and neutrons break apart – this is the focus of TRR 211 “Strong-Interaction Matter under Extreme Conditions," which has been approved for its third funding phase. The participating researchers are investigating what happens when matter is heated and compressed to such an extent that its fundamental building blocks – quarks and gluons – are released. These states can be created for fractions of a second in particle accelerators and occur in space, for example, during the merger of neutron stars. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the strong nuclear force, which holds everything together at its core. Alongside Goethe University Frankfurt, TU Darmstadt and Bielefeld University are also involved.

Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Sören Schlichting (Bielefeld University)
Co-Spokespersons: Prof. Dr. Hannah Elfner (Goethe University Frankfurt), Prof. Dr. Guy Moore (TU Darmstadt)
Website: https://crc-tr211.org/

The study of a zone in the atmosphere that separates the lower “weather layer" (troposphere) from the stratosphere above, known as the tropopause region, is the research topic of TRR 301 “The Tropopause Region in a Changing Atmosphere." The research focuses on the physical and chemical processes in this region and their influence on planetary circulation and climate. As part of TRR 301, researchers from Goethe University participated in the aircraft measurement campaign on oxidation processes in the atmosphere (CAFE), which helped explain how the Amazon rainforest functions as a “cloud machine." The main locations of TRR 301 are Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Goethe University Frankfurt. Additional partners include Technical University Darmstadt, LMU Munich, the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Forschungszentrum Jülich, and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Weßling.

Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Peter Hoor, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, hoor@uni-mainz.de
Co-Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Joachim Curtius, Goethe University Frankfurt, curtius@iau.uni-frankfurt.de

Website: https://tpchange.de/
The Amazon rainforest as a cloud machine: How thunderstorms and plant transpiration produce condensation nuclei: https://aktuelles.uni-frankfurt.de/english/the-amazon-rainforest-as-a-cloud-machine-how-thunderstorms-and-plant-transpiration-produce-condensation-nuclei/

DFG press release (in German):
https://www.dfg.de/de/service/presse/pressemitteilungen/2025/pressemitteilung-nr-37

Further Information
Prof. Dr. Merle Hummrich (CRC 1750)
Institute of Secondary Education
Goethe University Frankfurt
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798 -36323
E-Mail: m.hummrich@em.uni-frankfurt.de

Prof. Dr. Vera Moser (CRC 1750)
Institute of Special Education
Goethe University Frankfurt
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798 - 36394
E-Mail: v.moser@em.uni-frankfurt.de

Prof. Dr. Jakob Stix (TRR 326)
Institute of Mathematics
Goethe University Frankfurt
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798 - 22309
E-Mail: stix@math.uni-frankfurt.de

Prof. Dr. Hannah Elfner (TRR 211)
Institute for Theoretical Physics
Goethe University Frankfurt
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798 - 47652
E-Mail: elfner@itp.uni-frankfurt.de

Prof. Dr. Joachim Curtius (TRR 301)
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
Goethe University Frankfurt
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798 - 40258
E-Mail: curtius@iau.uni-frankfurt.de