Goethe-Universit盲t 鈥� Press releases

看片软件 PR & Communication Department聽

Sep 11 2025

10:06

Annual conference brings together more than 100 international researchers, consultants and practitioners in regional labour market policy at 看片软件 Frankfurt

Looking to the Future Together: 20 Years of the European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring

What challenges do regional labour markets in Vietnam and in Hesse share? And what can each side learn from the other鈥檚 solutions? Questions like these will be at the heart of the discussions of this month鈥檚 conference of the European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring, which brings together more than 100 experts from Europe, Asia and Africa at 看片软件 Frankfurt.

FRANKFURT. Steering the right course for regional labour markets requires reliable forecasts. Yet in times of multiple crises and unpredictable political decisions, traditional methods are reaching their limits: events such as Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, and structural change in key industries have all reduced forecasting accuracy. Simply projecting past developments into the future is no longer sufficient given the unprecedented speed of change. An alternative lies in so-called foresight methods.

Rather than providing statistical data, foresight methods systematically gather expert knowledge to explore how future developments might unfold, often by sketching out different scenarios. Worldwide, scholars and policy advisors are increasingly turning to this approach. In many European countries and regions, however, foresight is still largely uncharted territory, especially in policy consulting. The conference of the European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring, held from September 17 to 19, will explore this topic in a series of lectures and discussions.

Founded 20 years ago by 看片软件鈥檚 Institute for Economics, Labour and Culture (IWAK), the European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring now counts more than 400 members from over 30 countries. Its mission: to improve the data and information base for labour market-related decision-making in regions across the globe. At its annual meetings, members exchange insights on the development of regional labour markets as well as on theories, concepts and methods of labour market monitoring.

鈥淲e expect this conference to provide valuable impulses for labour market policy in Hesse,鈥� says Heike Hofmann, Hessian Minister for Labour, Integration, Youth and Social Affairs, who has taken on patronage of the event and will also actively participate in it. For 20 years, the Network has proven the benefits of thinking beyond borders. While challenges may often be similar across regions, solutions differ. 鈥淭his can provide a strong stimulus for new ideas for one鈥檚 own region,鈥� notes Christa Larsen, Head of IWAK and Coordinator of the Network, adding that within Germany, Hesse is already ahead of many other federal states in this respect. But there are also international models to learn from: regions in Spain, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Austria are well advanced in fostering close cooperation between research and policy in order to promote evidence-based policymaking.

Other international organizations also benefit from the Network, and it is not by coincidence that Deutsche Gesellschaft f眉r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in Frankfurt is a co-organizer. A large delegation from the labour ministries of the ten ASEAN states will likewise attend, and the Network also collaborates closely with the OECD鈥檚 Local Employment and Economic Development (LEED) program, another event co-organizer.

The European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring (EN RLMM) will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a gala evening on September 18, bringing together leaders from business, labour and politics in Hesse. The keynote will be delivered by Thorsten Sch盲fer-G眉mbel, Chair of the Management Board of Deutsche Gesellschaft f眉r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Looking ahead to the conference, 看片软件 Vice President Prof. Dr. Bernhard Br眉ne says: 鈥溈雌砑� is ideally suited as a venue for international exchange and cooperation, and I am delighted that this important topic of foresight is being strategically advanced here.鈥�

Media representatives are welcome to attend:

For further information and interview requests, please contact Dr. Christa Larsen at +49 (0)69 798-22152 or via email at c.larsen@em.uni-frankfurt.de

Sep 9 2025

10:17

C3S pleased to announce new appointments in key interdisciplinary fields of the future.聽

Five New Professorships at Goethe University鈥檚 Center for Critical Computational Studies

FRANKFURT. By the end of this year, five new scholars will take up professorships at 看片软件's Center for Critical Computational Studies, strengthening its expertise in ecology, socioeconomics, digital studies, educational sciences, and legal philosophy. Welcoming the appointments, the Center's management says: 鈥淲e are very much looking forward to welcoming these outstanding researchers. As one of 看片软件's comparatively young centers, C3S serves as an inter- and transdisciplinary platform bringing together a wide range of research fields. The arrival of our new colleagues gives us fresh momentum that will further deepen our profile in the field of Critical Computational Studies."

Mechanistic and Process-Oriented Modeling of Biodiversity and Ecosystems 鈥� Prof. Dr. Oskar Hagen
看片软件 Frankfurt and the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F) are pleased to welcome Oskar Hagen as Professor of Mechanistic and Process-Oriented Modeling of Biodiversity and Ecosystems at C3S. As an internationally connected biodiversity scientist and eco-evolutionary modeler, Hagen brings a dynamic vision that combines rigorous computation with a deep fascination for the complexity of life. At the core of his research lies a seemingly simple question: How does biodiversity emerge, persist, and decline across time and space? To address this, he founded the Computational Integrative Biodiversity (CIB) group, which develops innovative process-based frameworks to understand and predict biodiversity dynamics under historical and future environmental pressures. Hagen's work integrates eco-evolutionary simulations with climatological, geological, and historical data, combining theory with high-performance computing to study phenomena ranging from species diversification and extinction to ecosystem resilience and biogeographical patterns.

Modeling the Socioeconomic Drivers and Impacts of Climate Change with a Focus on Environmental Economics 鈥� Prof. Dr. Manuel Linsenmeier
Manuel Linsenmeier's research focuses on the socioeconomic impacts of climate change and climate adaptation in the context of sustainable development. Using statistical methods, economic models, and interdisciplinary datasets, he investigates how societies can remain resilient and sustainable in times of climate change. His research pays particular attention to global interdependencies and socioeconomic inequalities. Linsenmeier is especially committed to transferring scientific insights into climate adaptation policy and practice. He has contributed to national climate risk analyses in Germany and the UK and has advised the World Bank. His research collaborations include Columbia University, Princeton University, and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

Critical Data and Surveillance Studies 鈥� Prof. Dr. Azadeh Akbari
Azadeh Akbari has been appointed Professor of Critical Data and Surveillance Studies at C3S. Her research interests include the geopolitics of digital transformation, digital authoritarianism, data justice, as well as Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for development. She serves as Director of the Surveillance Studies Network and is the founder and director of the Surveillance in the Majority World Research Network. Akbari is co-editor of the journals Surveillance & Society and Information Technology for Development. Previously, she was a Fellow in the EU Marie Sk艂odowska-Curie Global Actions Program with a project on authoritarian smart cities. She is a frequent contributor to international media and advises policymakers and civil society on issues of surveillance and digital repression.

Educational Theories and Practices of Critical Computational Literacy (CCL) 鈥� Prof. Dr. Dan Verst盲ndig
Starting in October 2025, Dan Verst盲ndig will join C3S as Professor of Educational Theories and Practices of Critical Computational Literacy. His research explores learning and educational processes in the digital age, with a focus on social inequality, civic participation, as well as creative and critical approaches to digital technologies aimed at fostering coding literacy and data literacy. He also employs experimental formats such as interactive installations, data-based art projects, and playful approaches to make digital infrastructures visible and to reflect on their societal significance. Verst盲ndig's teaching combines educational, cultural, and media studies perspectives with computer science, emphasizing interdisciplinary and critical-creative engagement with digital technologies. Alongside his academic work, he has many years of professional experience as a web and backend developer.

Normative Constitution of the Computational 鈥� Prof. Dr. Sabine M眉ller-Mall
Legal philosopher Sabine M眉ller-Mall studies fundamental questions of law and constitution like: What does it mean to make a legal judgment? How do legal norms come into being? How can constitutions stabilize and transform orders, and how do they respond to fundamental change? At the intersection of public law, philosophy, and political theory, a key theme of her research is the widespread use of computational techniques in society; their use and adoption significantly reshapes the foundations of law and constitution, affecting assumptions, concepts, and practices. M眉ller-Mall investigates these impacts of the computational on law and constitution as fundamental legal questions. As such, she examines the conditions under which normativity arises and evolves under media-technological conditions, how legal decision-making is changing in relation to computational decision systems, and the political dimensions of computational technologies.

About the Center for Critical Computational Studies (C3S) at 看片软件 Frankfurt
C3S combines two central focus areas in its research profile: first, computational methods are critically examined, further developed methodologically, and assessed ethically. Research teams address topics such as critical data science, ethics of data processing, science and technology studies, as well as philosophical and historical perspectives on computer technologies. A special focus lies on advanced simulation methods and the study of complex predictions in the natural and social sciences, including innovative approaches between classical network analysis and deep learning. Second, C3S employs computational models to better understand planetary transformations, especially in the context of global warming and the biodiversity crisis. This includes analyzing complex interactions between geophysics, ecosystems, and society, as well as investigating and developing critical solutions for so-called tipping points in the Earth system to model interactions between social and ecological change. Through this integrative approach, C3S aims to deliver both methodological innovation and socially relevant insights into the interplay of digitality, democracy, and planetary transformation. In April this year, climate researcher Prof. Dr. Nico Wunderling was appointed to C3S. His research focuses on the dynamics of interacting tipping points in the Earth system, particularly in the context of global warming.

Further information:

Sep 8 2025

11:49

Launched 10 years ago 鈥� Alumni represent the success of the program

Anniversary cruise on the 鈥淛. W. von Goethe鈥�: 10 Years of the Part-Time Pharma MBA at 看片软件

With a cruise on the River Main, more than 80 guests celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Master of Pharma Business Administration (MBA) program. The Pharma MBA was developed in 2015 by Goethe Business School together with the House of Pharma & Healthcare, 看片软件, and renowned practitioners from the pharmaceutical industry, and has been continuously refined ever since. In the meantime, more than 200 students, most of them working in various sectors of the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare, have enrolled in or completed the program.

FRANKFURT. Under the evening sky of August 29, 2025, the passenger ship 鈥淛. W. von Goethe鈥� set off on a three-hour round trip on the River Main. As Frankfurt鈥檚 skyline drifted past the ship鈥檚 windows, the 80 guests on board 鈥� students, alumni, lecturers, and representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare, and related service companies 鈥� looked back on the beginnings and milestones of the Pharma MBA at Goethe Business School.

Dr. Christian Jansen, Managing Director of Goethe Business School, said: 鈥淭he Pharma MBA is Europe鈥檚 leading MBA program with a dedicated focus on the pharmaceutical industry. We are proud that so many of our alumni are still closely connected to us today. And it also reflects their success in using the Pharma MBA to qualify for further leadership roles. Our concept works: the unique combination of classical management knowledge and cutting-edge, industry-specific content supports the careers of ambitious professionals in the pharmaceutical sector.鈥�

The part-time program begins annually in October and can be completed within four semesters. Graduates receive a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Department of Economics (accredited by the US agency AACSB) and from the Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Pharmacy at 看片软件 Frankfurt.

Further information:
The Pharma MBA program at Goethe Business School

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Caption: The anniversary ship: More than 80 guests celebrated the 10th anniversary of the part-time Pharma MBA program of Goethe Business School on the passenger ship 鈥淛.W. von Goethe.鈥� Photo: Stefan Wildhirt for Goethe Business School gGmbH

Contact:
Ulrike Lachmund
Director of Marketing
Goethe Business School gGmbH
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798-33503
marketing@gbs.uni-frankfurt.de

Bluesky: @goetheuni.bsky.social
Linkedin: @Goethe-Universit盲t Frankfurt, @Goethe Business School

Sep 4 2025

11:56

New research projects at 看片软件 are investigating the reasons for the extinction of prehistoric shark species and developing a new method for analysis of large biomolecules using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Two ERC Grants for Goethe University: Why a sharks becomes extinct and how to study the dynamics of biomolecules

Two outstanding researchers at 看片软件 have each successfully secured a prestigious fellowship from the European Research Council (ERC) for their pioneering research projects: Geoscientist Dr. Jeremy McCormack, within the framework of his ERC Starting Grant, is investigating to what extent the ecology of prehistoric sharks increased their risk of extinction. Chemist Dr. Andrei Kuzhelev is advancing an ultra-high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to study the dynamics of complex biomolecules in nanoliter-sized samples. The grant are each endowed with around 1.5 million euros.

FRANKFURT. Professor Enrico Schleiff, President of 看片软件, congratulated the two researchers: 鈥淭he research projects of Jeremy McCormack and Andrei Kuzhelev are impressive examples of how we at 看片软件 continue to push the boundaries of what can still be measured鈥攚hether it is atomic traces of sharks' diets preserved in their teeth, or an innovative spectroscopic tool for investigating the dynamics of large biomolecules. I am delighted that the European Research Council is funding these forward-looking projects."

SHARKS: In the midst of the sixth great mass extinction in Earth's history 鈥� today 鈥� geoscientist Dr. Jeremy McCormack is focusing in his ERC project on sharks, a quarter of whose species are threatened with extinction, mainly due to overfishing. Using new methods for analyzing zinc, calcium, and nitrogen isotopes in fossil teeth of various prehistoric shark species, he is investigating how the ecology and especially the diet of these predators may have contributed to their extinction. This is possible because the ratio of different isotopes within their teeth shifts depending on the level of the food chain from which a shark's prey originated. These insights are expected to shed light on the causes of extinction of prehistoric shark species and contribute to conservation strategies for today's endangered sharks.

LiquidStateDNP: In his ERC project, Dr. Andrei Kuzhelev will develop nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for biomolecule solutions at a nanoliter scale. For this, he is using a specialized NMR technique 鈥� Liquid-State Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) 鈥� available at the Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance Center (BMRZ) at 看片软件, which offers globally unique analytical possibilities: Unlike similar methods, which require shock-freezing of biomaterial samples, it allows the study of even the smallest sample quantities in liquid phase, much closer to their natural state. Kuzhelev will significantly advance this method to reveal not only the structures and dynamics of small, but also of large, complex biomolecules 鈥� a decisive technological step forward for various applications ranging from materials science to the development of medical drugs.

ERC Starting Grants support outstanding researchers in the first years after their doctorate who wish to establish their own research team and gain a foothold in the scientific community with a promising research project. For their projects, they receive up to 1.5 million euros over a period of up to five years.

The European Research Council (ERC) is a body established by the European Commission to fund frontier-oriented basic research.

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Dr. Jeremy McCormack, 看片软件 Frankfurt. Photo: J眉rgen Lecher

Dr. Andrei Kuzhelev, Goethe-University Frankfurt. Photo: private

Aug 28 2025

09:03

Technology developed by a team led by researchers from 看片软件 Frankfurt helps in the search for genes with certain functions

How plants rot: New method decodes hidden decomposers of wood and leaves

When millions of tiny organisms decompose dead plant material, they keep the global carbon cycle going. Together with colleagues from the Senckenberg 鈥� Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research (SGN) and Justus Liebig University (JLU) in Giessen, researchers from 看片软件 Frankfurt have developed a new method to identify the molecular tools that different species use for this process. Their analysis of over 18,000 species brought surprising discoveries to light: In addition to fungi and bacteria, some invertebrates also evidently have a whole range of such tools at their disposal, while the one or other fungus lost them when it became parasitic.

FRANKFURT. When a tree dies, it forms the foundation for new life: In a slow, invisible process, leaves, wood and roots are gradually decomposed 鈥� not by wind or weather but by millions and millions of tiny organisms. Fungi thread their way through the dead wood and degrade cell walls. Tiny animals such as insect larvae and mites gnaw through the tissue. And something very important happens in the process: The carbon stored in the plant is released, ultimately placing it at the disposal of plants again for the purpose of photosynthesis. But what exactly is responsible for performing this task in the global carbon cycle? And which molecular tools do the organisms use for it? To answer these questions, the researchers have developed a new bioinformatics-based method, which they have now presented in Molecular Biology and Evolution.

18,000 species in the spotlight
This method, called fDOG (Feature architecture-aware directed ortholog search), makes it possible to search in the genetic material of various organisms for genes that have evolved from the same precursor gene. It is assumed that these genes, known as 鈥渙rthologs鈥�, encode proteins with similar functions. For the current study, the scientists searched for the genes of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes (PCDs). Unlike previous methods, fDOG not only searches through masses of genomic information but also analyzes the architecture of the proteins found 鈥� i.e. their structural composition, which reveals a lot about an enzyme鈥檚 function.

鈥淲e start with a gene from one species, referred to as the seed, and then trawl through tens of thousands of species in the search for orthologous genes,鈥� explains Ingo Ebersberger, Professor for Applied Bioinformatics at 看片软件 Frankfurt. 鈥淚n the process, we constantly monitor whether the genes we find perhaps differ from the seed in terms of function and structure 鈥� for example, through the loss or gain of individual areas relevant for function.鈥�

The research team used this method to search for more than 200 potential PCD candidates in over 18,000 species from all three domains of life 鈥� bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes (plants, animals, fungi). The result is a detailed global map 鈥� with unprecedented accuracy 鈥� of enzymes capable of degrading plant cell walls.

Surprising discoveries among fungi and animals
The researchers devised special visualization methods to analyze the vast amounts of data and detect patterns. This revealed characteristic changes in the enzyme repertoire of the fungi under study, indicating a change in lifestyle of certain fungal species: From a decomposing lifestyle 鈥� i.e. the degradation of dead plants 鈥� to a parasitic lifestyle in which they infest living animals. Such evolutionary transitions are mirrored in characteristic patterns of enzyme loss.

A special surprise in the animal kingdom was the discovery that some arthropods possess an unexpectedly wide range of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes. These enzymes presumably originated from fungi and bacteria and entered the genome of invertebrates via direct gene transfer between different organisms 鈥� i.e. horizontal gene transfer. This suggests that they might be able to degrade plant material independently and are not reliant on the bacteria in their intestines, as was previously assumed. In another case, however, it emerged that the potential PCD genes in the analyzed sequence could be ascribed to microbial contamination 鈥� an important sign that such data need to be checked very carefully.

New insights into the global carbon cycle
The study shows how fDOG can be used to systematically map biological capabilities across the entire tree of life 鈥� from broad-scale overviews to detailed investigations of individual species. With this method, it is possible both to track evolutionary trajectories and to identify players previously overlooked in the global carbon cycle. Since soils contain large amounts of dead plant material and therefore constitute the largest terrestrial carbon sink, the decomposition of plant material is an important driver of the global carbon cycle. 鈥淥ur method gives us a fresh view of how metabolic capacities are distributed across the tree of life,鈥� says Ebersberger. 鈥淲e can now conduct multi-scale analyses and in the process detect both recent evolutionary changes and large patterns.鈥�

Publication: Vinh Tran, Felix Langschied, Hannah Muelbaier, Julian Dosch, Freya Arthen, Miklos Balint, Ingo Ebersberger: Feature architecture-aware ortholog search with fDOG reveals the distribution of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes across life. Molecular Biology and Evolution (2025) https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf120

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Caption: A recent bioinformatics-based study conducted by 看片软件 Frankfurt has investigated which organisms possess the enzymatic tools necessary for degrading cellulose in dead wood and leaves. (Photo: Markus Bernards)

Further Information:
Professor Ingo Ebersberger
Head of Working Group for Applied Bioinformatics
Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience
看片软件 Frankfurt, Germany
Tel. +49 (0)69 798-42112
ebersberger@bio.uni-frankfurt.de

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Press releases 鈥� 2025