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In an article published in the journal The Lancet, an international research team led by Dr Thilo von Groote and Prof Alexander Zarbock from the University of Münster has demonstrated that a targeted preventive treatment strategy after major surgery significantly reduces the incidence of severe acute kidney injury.

The international KATRIN collaboration with Prof. Christian Weinheimer and his team from the Institute of Nuclear Physics has used its precision data to verify evidence of sterile neutrinos. It was able to clearly reject the positive results of other measurements that pointed to the existence of this hypothetical type of neutrino – a result so important for this research area that it has now been published in Nature.

A major boost for the humanities: The Gemeinsame Wissenschaftskonferenz (Joint Scientific Conference) announced on 28 November that the University of Münster will participate in the new Academies Programme with two research projects. In both projects, researchers will explore and analyse historical sources and make them accessible with the help of artificial intelligence.

Prof Dr Susanne Menzel-Riedl, the President of the University of Osnabrück, will become the new rector of the University of Münster on 1 October 2026. She will succeed Prof Dr Johannes Wessels, who has led the University since 2016. She received 23 out of 28 votes in the University Election Assembly.

A team of theoretical physicists has developed a new mathematical model that describes rotating black holes and neutron stars that orbit each other and emit gravitational waves.

A brief smartphone-based training programme completed by patients with depression alongside their inpatient treatment can lead to long-term reduction in depressive symptoms. This is the finding of a study conducted by psychologists at the University of Münster.

A research team has discovered several rare, high-pressure minerals in the Kindberg meteorite. The analysis provides new insights into the formation and preservation of these mineral phases, which is of great importance for the remote sensing of asteroids and terrestrial planets.

The German Research Foundation is establishing a new Collaborative Research Centre on Male Infertility and extends the established Centre on Cellular Interfaces. In total, around €24 million will be allocated to the University.

In Münster, the city of the Peace of Westphalia, the Physical Societies of Japan and Germany have addressed the public with a joint ‘Declaration for the Future’ in the Quantum Year 2025. In it, they warn against nuclear armament.

AI, artificial intelligence, is more trendy than almost any other topic – both in research and in public discourse. Computer scientist Prof Dr Benjamin Risse is an expert in image analysis and machine learning and is very active in this field of research. But as a geoinformatics specialist, maths and biology enthusiast and person with wide-ranging interests, he is anything but single-minded.

Studying and working abroad can broaden one’s horizons – both professionally and personally. With Erasmus+, the world’s largest higher education funding programme, University employees in all areas can apply for project funding, participate in two- to seven-day training courses or complete teaching assignments abroad. In the following, two employees report on their experiences abroad.

What does the surface of the moon really look like? Researchers at the University of Münster have mapped millions of boulders with the aid of modern AI technology – a pioneering achievement for moon research. The new maps provide valuable insights into the formation and development of the moon.