Newsportal

Three hundred years ago, on 28 October 1726, a landmark of world literature appeared in print for the first time: Gulliver’s Travels. In this guest article, Dr Kirsten Juhas, research associate at the Ehrenpreis Centre for Swift Studies, University of Münster, explores how the novel came to be, why it is more than a children’s classic, and why Jonathan Swift is still relevant today.

More than 10,000 books disappeared from US schools in the 2023/24 school year. In response, two professors at the English Department of the University of Münster founded the "Banned Books Network Münster" – and are consciously carrying the debate beyond the university.

Postdocs occupy a central yet ambivalent role within the German academic system. How do they perceive their own work situation, job satisfaction and career development? To investigate this, the Münster Centre for Emerging Researchers (CERes) surveyed postdocs at the University of Münster. Significant differences emerged depending on the type of employment contract.

Professor Dr Susanne Menzel-Riedl took office as Rector of the University of Münster on 1 October. To begin her tenure, she took a tour of the University by bicycle – and chatted with press spokesperson Norbert Robers about her career and her first impressions of her new place of employment.

For many staff and students at the University of Münster, AI-powered translations are part of everyday life. But how good are these automatic translations, and which tool does the University of Münster offer? In the following, we shed some light on the matter.

A research team led by Dr Lukas Schrader from the Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity (IEB) shows that the evolution of ants received a boost thanks to the activity of “jumping genes” in their genome.

On 25 September researchers will meet at the “Münster Reproduction Games” to put studies published in specialist journals to the test. In the following interview, Dr Lukas Röseler offers insights into the event and describes strategies to increase reproducibility.

Welcome, bienvenidos, hoş geldiniz, benvenuti and welcome! The University of Münster is pleased to welcome 248 international exchange students for the new winter semester. During Welcome Week, the International Office will provide information about studying and living at the university and in Münster.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is awarding the biologist Dr Maik Bischoff and the chemist Prof Marcel Rey a total of just over 3.1 million euros over the next six years.

High-voltage lithium ion batteries are characterized by high energy and power densities, but often suffer from a shorter lifetime. A team from the University of Münster has now investigated how the bio-based electrolyte additive maleimide influences the lifetime of these battery cells.

In the summer series “Summer, Sun, Cactus”, members of the university share how they experience the warmer months. Rather than adopting a strictly academic approach, they offer a more light-hearted perspective. In Part 8, Sandhra Ganesh, like all the other participants, is pictured in front of the camera with the eponymous cactus from our Botanic Garden.

To mark World Sepsis Day on 13 September, critical care specialists Professor Jan Rossaint and Professor Alexander Zarbock from the University of Münster give insights into the latest research on sepsis and other types of life-threatening systemic inflammation. They also talk about what needs to be done to translate research into clinical application.