Complementary Research Strengths
The Ruhr Innovation Lab brings together the research strengths of Ruhr University Bochum and TU Dortmund University, creating a dynamic hub for cutting-edge research and innovation. By combining Bochum's interdisciplinary expertise in natural sciences, engineering, and humanities with Dortmund's focus on application-driven engineering, data science, and social sciences, the lab fosters groundbreaking advancements. By leveraging our combined strengths, we accelerate innovation, transforming ideas into impact.
Partner Universities
Ruhr University Bochum's Research Profile
Ruhr University Bochum stands out for its interdisciplinary approach, merging diverse academic disciplines to fuel cutting-edge research. It excels in liquid and soft-matter sciences, cybersecurity, advanced characterization, and physics, while also making significant strides in social sciences and humanities, thus propelling Ruhr University Bochum to the top 10 in three subject areas of Germany’s DFG Funding Atlas 2024. Its dynamic Science Hubs transform disciplinary expertise into system-wide capabilities, empowering large teams to operate with unparalleled agility and speed. The university’s functional campus infrastructure, featuring five competitively funded research buildings, fosters seamless collaboration and interdisciplinarity.
TU Dortmund University's Research Profile
TU Dortmund University excels in natural sciences, application-driven engineering, and data science, advancing fundamentals, methods and applications. It boasts one of Germany's strongest statistics-computer science constellations with its Department of Statistics, the Lamarr Institute, and close collaboration with local Fraunhofer Institutes enabling excellent, interconnected industrial technology transfer. The university also drives outstanding research in the social sciences, addressing pressing issues such as migration, education and aging, and houses Germany's leading institute for journalism, which conducts impactful research on science communication, media skepticism and democracy.
Distinguished Scientists
-
Prof. Martina Havenith holds a professorship in Laser Spectroscopy and Biophotonics at Ruhr University Bochum. She is the spokesperson for the RESOLV Cluster of Excellence and director of the research building ZEMOS - Center for Spectroscopy and Simulation of Solvent-Driven Processes. Havenith is a member of the Academia Europaea and received an ERC Advanced Grant in 2016 for her research into spectroscopic methods. -
Prof. Edvardas Narevicius holds a Humboldt Professorship in Ultracold Reactions at TU Dortmund University. His pioneering research on quantum effects in molecular collisions has garnered international recognition, earning him an ERC Advanced Grant in 2020 for his experimental investigations of quantum gases. In addition to his work at the Research Center for Chemical Sciences and Sustainability, Prof. Narevicius is also an associated member of the RESOLV Cluster of Excellence. -
Prof. Gabriele Sadowski has held a professorship in Thermodynamics at TU Dortmund University since 2001. She was awarded the prestigious Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize in 2011. As a principal investigator in the RESOLV Cluster of Excellence, she studies the role of solvents in chemical reactions and industrial processes. Additionally, Prof. Sadowski is the initiator and spokesperson for the new CALEDO research building and has been a member of the German Science and Humanities Council (WR) since 2022. -
Prof. Eike Kiltz is Professor of Cryptography at Ruhr University Bochum. He is winner of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize 2024 and spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellence CASA. In 2022, he received an ERC Advanced Grant for his project „REWORC – New Foundations for Real-World Cryptography“. Specializing in asymmetric encryption methods, Kiltz aims to secure them against potential quantum computing threats. -
Prof. Julia Tjus is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at Ruhr University Bochum. She is the director of the RAPP Center and spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center 1491 “Cosmic Interacting Matter—From Source to Signal”. Tjus has made groundbreaking contributions to astroparticle physics, particularly to neutrino astronomy and cosmic ray research. -
Prof. Johannes Albrecht holds a Heisenberg Professorship for Experimental Flavour Physics at TU Dortmund University. He is a co-spokesperson of the new Cluster of Excellence “Color meets Flavor” and involved with the RAPP center. In 2016, the physicist has received an ERC Starting Grant of €1.5 million for his project PRECISION, which focused on discovering new scalar and vector particles at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. In 2025, the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics honored the achievements of the international collaboration at the LHC. -
Prof. Susanne Fengler is Professor at TU Dortmund University and serves as director of the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism. Inducted into Academia Europaea in 2025, she specializes in reporting on migration and EU politics. She led numerous international research projects with partners in Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean or Africa, notably the e-learning platform “Covering Cohesion Policy in Europe” or the “UNESCO Handbook for Journalism Educators Reporting on migrants and refugees”. -
Prof. F. Ömer Ilday holds an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship at Ruhr University Bochum. His pioneering work in developing ultrafast lasers and researching laser-matter interaction has opened up numerous applications, from precision machining to new material processing effects. For his groundbreaking research, Ömer Ilday received numerous accolades including an ERC Consolidator Grant in 2014 as well as an ERC Advanced Grant in 2022. -
Prof. Silvana Botti is a Professor of Solid State Physics and Material Sciences at Ruhr University Bochum and member of the Research Center Future Energy Materials and Systems. Botti works on groundbreaking topics in condensed matter physics and optics, and is an expert in first-principles simulation of electronic excitations and optical properties of complex materials. -
Prof. Yannis P. Korkolis is Professor of Forming Technologies at TU Dortmund University. He serves as the spokesperson for the Collaborative Research Center/Transregio "Damage-Controlled Forming Processes" (TRR 188), a joint initiative with RWTH Aachen University that the DFG extended for a third funding period in 2024. Before his appointment in 2023, Prof. Korkolis was associate professor at various universities in the USA, specializing in engineering mechanics. -
Prof. Katja Crone is Professor of the Philosophy of Mind at TU Dortmund University. From 2002 to 2006, she served as a scientific collaborator at the German Ethics Council. Currently, she co-leads the research project "Systematic Analytic Philosophy in the Ruhr Area (SAPHIR) – Communication and Internationalization," in collaboration with partners from Ruhr University Bochum and the University of Duisburg-Essen, which resulted in an exhibition at the Dortmunder U. -
Prof. Christina Lechtermann is professor of Medieval German Studies, focusing on German literature of the Early and High Middle Ages at Ruhr University Bochum. In her research, the medievalist examines religious poetry and the very early precursors of the popular how-to formats. Lechtermann is the spokesperson for the DFG-funded Graduate Research Training Group “Knowledge – Belief – Assertion: Truth Production and Truth Enforcement in the Pre-Modern Era” (GRK 2945). -
Prof. Silvia Schneider heads the Chair of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology at Ruhr University. She is director of the Research and Treatment Center for Mental Health (FBZ) and spokesperson of the German Center for Mental Health. In 2025, she received the German Psychology Award for her pioneering work in the treatment of children and adolescents with mental illnesses.
Outstanding Research Institutions
Research Alliance Ruhr: Research Centers and College
Inter-university research structures have been growing in the Ruhr area since 2021: 50 new research professorships are being created for the University Alliance Ruhr at four Research Centers and one College. Together, they are addressing pressing issues for the future: sustainable solutions for chemical processes, materials for the energy transition, trustworthy IT systems, or the health of body, mind, and environment. Topics in the humanities and social sciences are being explored with international tandem partners.
Lamarr Institute for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
As one of only six national AI competence centers, the Lamarr Institute is a leading center for research and education in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Its interdisciplinary research area of physics aims to improve the understanding of nature by using advanced mathematical and machine learning methods. TU Dortmund University is one of the four partners supporting the Lamarr Institute, along with Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems IAIS, the University of Bonn and Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML.
KWI – Institute of Advanced Studies
Established in 2007 as the first joint institution of the University Alliance Ruhr, the KWI - Institute of Advanced Studies (Kulturwissenschaftliches Institut Essen) is unique in being anchored in three partner universities. Specializing in cultural studies, this inter-university institute supports early career researchers and junior fellows while fostering collaboration among researchers from the Ruhr area and beyond. Through these initiatives, KWI plays a vital role in promoting academic collaboration and advancing research in cultural studies.
Partnerships with Non-University Research Institutions
The Ruhr Innovation Lab has established 30 partnerships with non-university research institutions, highlighting its commitment to collaboration in research and the training of young scientists. With 53 joint appointments and twelve graduate programs, these partnerships foster a dense network of interaction in the Ruhr area that enhances doctoral training and facilitates shared infrastructures and data spaces. These collaborations benefit both partners by attracting top researchers and increasing the critical mass needed for ambitious consortia.