Research profile Field of Focus II
Patterns and Structures in Mathematics, Data, and the Material World
This Field of Focus links synthetic chemistry with the physics of complex systems, pure mathematics with theoretical physics, and numerical mathematics with chemistry and physics.
Field of Focus 2 aims at understanding common structures on all scales in the material world. It provides the infrastructure required to link the numerous common research interests of the three strong scientific-mathematical disciplines across subject boundaries.
The strengths of Field of Focus 2 are documented by the successful new Excellence Cluster STRUCTURES, involving in particular physics, mathematics and computational sciences, and by the Excellence Cluster 3D Matter Made to Order (3DMM2O) together with KIT in advanced (organic) materials science, which interconnects expertise from the computational sciences, chemistry, biophysics and the life sciences.
As part of an international collaborative network, the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy concentrates on three main subject areas: fundamental particles and their interaction, astrophysics and cosmology, and complex quantum systems, but has also ties to biophysics, environmental physics, and physical information technology. The Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science will continue to integrate its basic and applied subject areas and to intensify its internal, national and international networking. The Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences has won international recognition through its fundamental research on catalysis and materials science, and the study of molecular structures and functions including their numerical modelling. This research affects related disciplines and creates cross-links to the life sciences and medicine.
Chemistry, mathematics, and physics have initiated collaborations to establish materials science as a further research focus in Heidelberg.
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Institutions
Numerous institutes and centres from different subject areas, two Excellence Clusters, two graduate schools, several DFG Collaborative Research Centres and extra-university partners cooperate in Field of Focus 2 and promote the interdisciplinary dialogue within the research focus.
Research Council FoF 2
The Research Council coordinates the academic development of the FoF by identifying new research questions, bringing together complementary expertise and promoting innovative projects through start-up funding. It also actively supports young researchers and advises the Rectorate in all research matters.
3D Matter Made to Order
“3D Matter Made to Order”, the joint Cluster of Excellence by the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology and Heidelberg University, pursues a highly interdisciplinary approach combining natural and engineering sciences. The cluster concentrates on three-dimensional additive manufacturing techniques, from the molecular level to macroscopic dimensions.
News
Support of Research Initiatives Within Field of Focus 2
The Research Council of the Field of Focus 2 (FoF2), “Patterns and Structures in Mathematics, Data, and the Material World”, aims to foster novel research ideas to harness the broad synergy potential on the Heidelberg Campus with the goal to identify new interdisciplinary research schemes.
Further Information
Support For Early-Career Researchers
Support for early-career researchers is one of the central strategic fields of action at Heidelberg University. The goal is to prepare young researchers in an optimum way for a career in academia, or outside the university, to attract the best scholarly talents from all over the world to Heidelberg and to position Heidelberg University as well as possible in the international competition.
