​​Language models based on artificial intelligence (AI) can answer any question, but not always correctly. It would be helpful for users to know how reliable an AI system is. A team at Ruhr University Bochum and TU Dortmund University suggests six dimensions that determine the trustworthiness of a system, regardless of whether the system is made up of individuals, institutions, conventional machines, or AI. The theoretical paper is guided by philosophical concepts of Prof. Albert Newen, Ruhr University Bochum. The technical discussions are delivered by Dr. Carina Newen and Professor Emmanuel Müller from TU Dortmund University. They describe the theoretical framework in the international philosophical journal Topoi.

​Find out more here.​ 

​​Our current standard of living consumes energy and resources and burdens the climate through enormous CO2 emissions. A way out could be the recovery of carbon dioxide from waste streams. This would enable a cycle of its use. Options for such use are outlined by an international team of biotechnologists led by Prof. Dr. Dirk Tischler from Ruhr University Bochum in an article published in 2025 in the journal Nature Communications.

​Find out more here.​ 

Butterflies in your tummy, nervous stomach rumblings, hunger: Our brain and gut are in constant communication with each other. In fact, there are more than 100 million neurons in our gut. That is why it is also known as the second brain. The brain-gut communication is particularly intense when we experience pain arising from the gastrointestinal tract. When fear of such pain becomes worse than the pain itself, this is often the result of learning processes. Professor Adriane Icenhour and PD Dr. Franziska Labrenz from Ruhr University Bochum are investigating how people could be helped to overcome the vicious circle of fear and pain. In the Collaborative Research Center 1280 “Extinction Learning”, the two neuroscientists work together with psychologists, neurobiologists, and physicians to understand the processes of learning, remembering, and forgetting.

• In this interview, Icenhour and Labrenz talk about their research and findings: https://news.rub.de/english/2024-04-29-neuroscience-second-brain-our-gut.
• The interview has also been published in the Science Magazine Rubin: https://news.rub.de/sites/default/files/2025-01/RUBIN_2025_Extinktionslernen_gesamt_en.pdf
• In the podcast “Kannste Vergessen? – Der Podcast vom Lernen, Vergessen und Erinnern” (Can You Forget? – The Podcast on Learning, Forgetting, and Remembering), various researchers talk about their interdisciplinary research in the Collaborative Research Center 1280 “Extinction Learning” (German only): https://open.spotify.com/show/17aiD35VDvxAkMwfLv4XTz

Find out more here.

Hydrogen plays an important role in all concepts for reducing CO₂ emissions. In principle we know how it can be produced and liquefied for transport – but these processes must be implemented on a much larger scale if hydrogen is to become the basis of a future global energy market.

To date, fundamental research is still lacking. Professor Roland Span at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) is developing material data models that accurately describe the properties of hydrogen under various conditions and, for example, form the basis for simulations of liquefaction plants. The European Research Council (ERC) has been funding his work since 2022 with an Advanced Grant, worth 2.5 million euros for five years.

Learn more about his research here.

Work on your grant proposal on-site and secure funding to stay! 

Are you an international early postdoc looking to secure a postdoc position at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB)? Our Writing Grant Fellowship allows you to experience RUB as your potential future workplace while collaborating on-site to develop a joint funding proposal. 

The fellowship includes a stipend of €4,500 for a three-month visit. The principal objective: securing funding for a longer postdoc stay. There are two calls per year, closing June 15 and November 15. International postdoctoral researchers are eligible to apply if they are affiliated with a research institution outside Germany and received their PhD not more than three years ago. 

As a first step, applicants need to detect a host professor at RUB they would like to work with. The application consists of two parts - one by the hosting RUB professor and one by the international postdoc. For more information click here.

Juggling research and family responsibilities can be demanding – especially during a research stay abroad!  

The Lore Agnes Fellowship has been established to support international female postdoctoral researchers with children. It is endowed with 2,300 € per month to enable the Lore Agnes Fellow to work closely over a period of up to six months with a host at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) on a research grant proposal. 

The fellowship aims to encourage postdocs to bring their entire families to Bochum while a broad network of closely cooperating institutions and services will help to support the researching parent as much as possible. 

RUB grants one Lore-Agnes-Fellowship per year. International female postdoctoral researcher with child(ren) from all fields and countries are welcome to apply by November 15, 2025. For more information click here.

October 29, 2025. 14:00 - 16:00 h (UTC+1h) online via Zoom 
Get your toolbox ready for pursuing a postdoc career in Germany!  

Embarking on a postdoc journey in a foreign country with a different academic system can be both exciting and challenging. Join the online info session to discover the details of Germany’s research and career landscape and learn about various funding opportunities and essential aspects to consider when writing applications for third-party funding or applying for job positions. 

The infosession provides an overview over the most important aspects of becoming a Postdoc in Germany and offers comprehensive information about: 

• the German career system in research 
• conditions and career factors for a research career in Germany 
• how to get in contact with a German professor 
• funding possibilities for postdocs 

Also, you’ll get an exclusive overview of the research environment at Ruhr University Bochum.  

Register here by October 27! 

15 September 2025, 9-10 am (ET)
Are you an early postdoc interested in expanding your international network? Sign up for an info session on the Research Explorer Ruhr (RER) program, a fully funded opportunity that supports international early postdocs in spending two weeks in the Ruhr area of Germany during summer 2026. 

Through RER, participants get in touch with a host professor at one of the three universities of the University Alliance Ruhr—Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, or the University of Duisburg-Essen—to explore potential research collaborations and develop joint project proposals. In addition to networking opportunities and lab visits, the program includes workshops on writing grant proposals and preparing for competitive third-party funding applications. 

The online info session will provide an overview of the program, including eligibility, application tips, travel funding, and what to expect during your stay. For more information and registration click here.

Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) awards PhD Exchange Scholarships to international doctoral researchers. It is endowed with a monthly stipend of 1.000 € for up to six months. There are two calls each year on 15 June or November.

For the time of their stay, the supported doctoral researchers will be able to work on their doctoral project, exchange ideas in person with their host supervisor of RUB and possibly discuss their prospects as a postdoc. In addition, they will become members of RUB Research School. Thus, they are welcome to participate in its interdisciplinary workshop program and will largely benefit from the exchange with the doctoral community on campus.

Besides the scientific collaboration and its benefits, guests are encouraged to get to know the German academic system and culture. PhD Exchange aims at fostering international research cooperations and wants to support early career researchers in building up scientific networks and international mobility. To date, over 50 scholarship holders from around 20 countries have received the funding.

Applicants are eligible if they are accepted/enrolled as doctoral researchers at their home universities.
Click here for more information.

Embarking on a PhD journey in a foreign country with a different academic system can be both exciting and challenging. Join the online info session to gain valuable tips for a successful doctorate in Germany.

Discover the details of Germany’s research and career landscape as experts guide you through each step of the PhD process. Learn about various funding opportunities and essential aspects to consider when writing applications or applying for job positions.

Get an exclusive overview of the research environment at Ruhr University Bochum and explore the offers of the RUB Research School. This university-wide institution is dedicated to supporting early career researchers, helping them become responsible leaders in research, business, and society. RUB Research School provides a comprehensive range of qualification programs and funding options specifically designed for international researchers.

Register by 28 May and take the first step towards a successful PhD journey in Germany.

Click here for more information.

Dr. Johannes Karges (born 1992) from the Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Ruhr University Bochum has already caused quite a stir with his work on novel active substances against tumors and metastases. Only recently, an international research team led by Karges developed a compound that fights cancer cells without the presence of oxygen.
Tumors often contain areas of oxygen-deficient tissue that frequently withstand conventional therapies. This is because the drugs applied in tumors require oxygen to be effective. An international research team led Karges has developed a novel mechanism of action that works without oxygen: polymeric incorporated nanocatalysts target the tumor tissue selectively and switch off the glutathione that the cells need to survive.  Thanks to this new mechanism of action, tumors can be treated even under difficult conditions. The research group published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
Click here for more information.

In our ever-more digital world, science faces one great challenge: to build trust in artificial intelligence, machine learning and cyber security. The Research Center Trustworthy Data Science and Security of the University Alliance Ruhr (i.e. Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund University and University Duisburg-Essen) tackles this challenge at the intersection between technological progress and social acceptance. It focuses on the trustworthiness of intelligent systems in safety-critical applications.

Its unique, human-centered approach encompasses interdisciplinary research in trustworthy data analytics, explainable machine learning and privacy-aware algorithms. The goal: to develop trustworthy intelligent systems and enable private citizens to understand that technology. A new film showcases the fascinating research undertaken at this center by introducing two outstanding international researchers and their topics. 

Find out more about the Research Center here.

​​Migration is one of the most critical social, cultural, and political challenges. The role that time plays in this context - rhythms, ruptures, and inequalities - has so far been insufficiently researched and understood in both policy-making and migration studies. The project “Entanglements of Migration and Time in Post-industrial Urban Europe (MITIME)” aims to change this by examining migration, temporality, and urban inequalities. A European consortium, including several UNIC universities, has successfully secured Horizon Europe funding for this project. Ruhr University Bochum is participating in the project through the Chair of Sociology/Transnationalization, Migration, and Work, led by Prof. Dr. Margit Fauser.

​Find out more about the EU project here.​