Key Profile Area Dynamics of the Universe
Our universe is full of fascinating, mysterious and often surprising phenomena. Understanding and explaining this in physical terms is the task of the new key profile area Dynamics of the Universe.
The Dynamics of the Universe key profile area establishes an excellent environment for training, early contact with current research, and exchange in international co-operations and competitions. In addition, the interdisciplinary collaboration between the fields of physics, computer science and applied mathematics will be strengthened in the long term. This is particularly important given the need to meet unprecedented challenges arising from the large amounts of observational data being generated by way of innovative ideas and algorithms, and to enable and efficiently advance complex simulations using new hardware technologies.
Contacts
Prof. Dr. Stefanie Walch-Gassner
Spokesperson
Institut für Astrophysik
Dr. Iraj Vaezzadeh
Administrative Coordinator
Institut für Astrophysik
Participating faculties
Global Faculty Members
Scientists from various countries are currently participating in the Dynamics of the Universe KPA as part of the Global Faculty Program.
Here you can find all members of the Global Faculty Program at the University of Cologne.
Collaborative and third-party funded projects
The Dynamics of the Universe KPA is associated with several collaborative and third-party funded projects, including one Cluster of Excellence:
Transfer
The following activities are planned in connection with the DYNAVERSE Cluster of Excellence:
- Organization of open panel discussions to promote critical thinking (in cooperation with the Deutsches Museum Bonn)
- Establishment of a journalist-in-residence programme to strengthen links with the general press
- Promotion and organization of public lectures and mini-events
- Collaboration with research communicators for high-quality social media content
The knowledge transfer initiated within B3D will be further expanded through networking events between science and industry, supported by existing transfer structures such as the Gateway Excellence Start-Up Center at the University of Cologne.
Teaching
The KPA is involved in the development of the teaching and learning laboratory at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences in cooperation with the Center for Teacher Education (ZfL) to ensure excellence in teaching in the field of astrophysics and astroinformatics.
It is also involved in the Master's programme in Computational Sciences and the computational lab module for Master's students.
Innovative teaching formats – such as the "intensive weeks" in astrophysics at the Bonn-Cologne Graduate School of Physics and Astronomy (BCGS) – have integrated the expertise of the Global Faculty within the courses and offered practical learning opportunities through internships and research excursions to provide students with experience in the field.
Partnerships
Astronomy and astrophysics have long been established in the Cologne-Bonn area, which is reflected in existing regional partnerships.
As astronomical observatories and instrumentation are now supported by large consortia, successful participation in international partnerships is crucial. This calls for an efficient, synergetic basis to offer long-term prospects for the research and training of early-career scientists.
The coordination of research at the participating partner institutes in Bonn (University of Bonn and Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy) and Forschungszentrum Jülich, and the concentration of expertise in experimental, theoretical and laboratory astrophysics as well as the development of detectors and new instrumentation make the network internationally competitive and visible.
Regional partnerships
- University of Bonn
- Forschungszentrum Jülich
- Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS), Heidelberg
- Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy
International partnerships
- Cornell University, USA
- University of Manchester, UK
- Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
Research infrastructures
- Construction of the new CCAT/FYST telescope in Chile: Cologne is heading the German CCAT consortium, consisting of further partners at the University of Bonn, the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching, and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich. Internationally, the collaboration includes Cornell University along with Canadian and Chilean institutions.
- Development and continuous improvement of the Cologne Database for Molecular Spectroscopy (CDMS), which is a key infrastructure element for the high-resolution molecular spectroscopy used worldwide.
- Host of the German ALMA Regional Centre (software development and user/community support, in cooperation with the University of Bonn)
- Center for Data and Simulation Science (Vice-Director: Stefanie Walch-Gassner)
Video
Fred Young Submillimeter Teleskop (FYST) // Transport