2025

5 November 2025|Press release

Plaque commemorating student protest movement unveiled at the Audimax

Gert Hinnerk Behlmer and Hauke Heekeren unveil the plaque at the University of Hamburg’s Audimax.

Photo: University of Hamburg / Yzer

A plaque reminds the University of Hamburg of one the most famous German student protests: on 9 November 1967, students Detlev Albers and Gert Hinnerk Behlmer unfurled a banner with the words, “Unter den Talaren—Muff von 1000 Jahren” (“Under these robes—1,000 years of rot”) during the succession...

30 October 2025|Press release

Hands-On Research: The Potential of Microalgae

Visitors to the walk-in Algae Lab, a public research lab in the University of Hamburg’s University Museum

Photo: University of Hamburg / Esfandiari

On 30 October, the Lab of Tomorrow will open its doors at the University of Hamburg. This is where members of the public can become researchers. The lab’s opening focus will be on workshops, lectures, and experiments you can do at home on the tiniest rays of hope: microalgae.

29 October 2025|Press release

New representative study on compulsory military service and voluntary alternatives

Photo: University of Hamburg / Dichant

The German army (Bundeswehr) to increase the number of soldiers in response to increased foreign threat levels. The results of a study from the MOTRA research network suggest a willingness to volunteer may make compulsory military service unnecessary.

28 October 2025|Press release

Study: Opt-out system does not automatically mean more available organs

An orange donor ID being held up to the camera.

Photo: Adobe Stock/Alexander Raths

In 2024, 953 people nationwide donated one or several organs after their deaths, for roughly 8,600 patients who need one. Could this imbalance be addressed if people do not have to agree to donate but instead have to object to donating? A research team that includes the University of Hamburg has...

27 October 2025|Press release

Children’s University Lectures 2025: Voyages of discovery, from outer space to below the sea

Children sit in a University of Hamburg lecture hall.

Photo: University of Hamburg / von Wieding

The University of Hamburg is opening its doors to prospective researchers! Together with ETV Kinder- und Jugendförderung, it is extending an invitation to this year’s weekly Children’s University Lectures starting on 10 November 2025. The lectures are designed for children between 8 and 12 years...

21 October 2025|Press release

Famous Kokoschka painting returns to the University

Kokoschka painting Thermopylae or the Battle for the Salvation of the Occident

Photo: Andrea Kueppers

Art is back at the University of Hamburg’s Philosophenturm: A large, three-part painting by the important Austrian artist Oskar Kokoschka has returned to Lecture Hall D on Von-Melle-Park campus. As part of an extensive renovation of the building, the work Thermopylae oder der Kampf um die Errettung...

20 October 2025|Press release

International exchange format for higher education networks premieres in Hannover

Photo: GICHE

Against the backdrop of major global changes and challenges, the University of Hamburg and the Volkswagen Foundation in cooperation with the German Rectors’ Conference, have initiated a new international exchange format for university networks: the Global Innovation Circle on Higher Education...

14 October 2025|Press release

Wir wollen's wissen— the University visits schools

Photo: UHH/Strugies

Hibernating monkeys, climate extremes, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: University researchers will be trading the lecture hall for the classroom to present their research in Hamburg’s schools.

10 October 2025|Press release

The University’s Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences Turns 20!

From left to right: Prof. Dr. Kai Jensen, Prof. Dr. Annette Eschenbach, Prof. Dr. Arno Frühwald, Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren, Senator Maryam Blumental, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Norbert Ritter, Prof. Dr. Heinrich Graener, Dr. Katrin Seelhorst

Photo: Universität Hamburg/MIN/Fuchs

The Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences at the University of Hamburg will celebrate its twentieth anniversary with a festive ceremony followed by an academic symposium. The festivities are an excellent opportunity to review the last 2 decades of development, research, and...

6 October 2025|Press release

Seven new degree programs this Winter Semester

Photo: University of Hamburg / von Wieding

There are over 180 degree programs at the Universität Hamburg—University of Excellence, with regular new offers. We always focus on current developments and topics for the future. Seven new degree programs starting this Winter Semester reflect this approach.

1 October 2025|Press release

Public lectures at the University of Hamburg start on 14 October

The University’s Main Building in the sunshine

Photo: University of Hamburg / Hansen

If you are interested in science, research, politics, culture, and society, check out the General Lecture Series at Universität Hamburg. In Winter Semester 2025/26, the program is offering around 160 public lectures free of charge. The lectures begin on 14 October 2025, and all Hamburg citizens are...

26 September 2025|Press release

Funding for 2 University of Hamburg research groups from the German Research Foundation

Prof. Dr. Johann Anselm Steiger and Prof. Dr. Ursula Schröder

Photo: Vincent Leifer; IFSH

The German Research Foundation is funding a new research group at Universität Hamburg—University of Excellence. The interdisciplinary group is looking at how nations and societies in Europe are renegotiating security and protection in times of crisis. Funding for another research group on the use of...

2 September 2025|Press release

Study compares development of low writing and reading skills in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland

Photo: UHH/Weimer

The LEO study and the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies measure and literacy in adults. To mark the International Literacy Day on 8 September 2025, researchers at the University of Hamburg are publishing a special study that proves literacy is key to participating in...

27 August 2025|Press release

Information on the University of Hamburg’s Open Study Program

Red University of Hamburg cube in front of the University’s Main Building

Photo: University of Hamburg / von Wieding

On 4 September 2025, the Center for Continuing Education (Zentrum für Weiterbildung, ZFW) will provide information about the Open Study Program at the University of Hamburg. The Open Study Program welcomes people of all ages interested in learning. The information event will include talks about the...

26 August 2025|Press release

Study: Uncanny virtual humans trigger immune response

Virtual agents used for the study. The top row includes VAs that appear uncanny due to slight physical deviations which triggered an immune response.

Photo: Microsoft Rocketbox Avatar Library / University of Hamburg

More and more virtual and digital systems look human. However, this is sometimes perceived as scary and thus rejected. A research team led by Dr. Esther Diekhof and Prof. Dr. Frank Steinicke from the University of Hamburg has now discovered that a deviant appearance even activates our immune system...

21 August 2025|Press release

Praying Mantises—Mating to Death

A praying mantis of the species <i>Miomantis caffra</i>

Photo: University of Hamburg / Knapwerth

Manipulation and deception can play a role in the animal world when searching for a partner. A new study by the University of Hamburg examined a praying mantis originating in Africa. The results have now been published in the journal Functional Ecology.

20 August 2025|Press release

New Guidelines for Schools on Dealing with Human Remains in Their Collections

Photo: Danse Macabre by Harald Naegeli 2020, Felix Thürlemann

About 40 percent of secondary schools in Hamburg have human remains in their biology collections. New guidelines for teachers explain how to handle them appropriately. The guidelines were developed as part of a collaborative project carried out at the University of Hamburg.

28 July 2025|Press release

Olympic Games Do Not Effect Democratization in Host Countries

Photo: Universität Hamburg / Engels

Do major sporting events such as the Olympic Games—besides garnering a lot of attention—advance human rights and democracy in the host country? Researchers from the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Hamburg conducted the first statistical analysis of this...

17 July 2025|Press release

Suddenly visible: New particle challenges Long-Held Assumptions

Artistic representation of a connection between a top quark and its antiparticle.

Photo: Julia Münstermann (“Toponium, 2025, Cyanotype”)

Researchers at the University of Hamburg and DESY have found evidence of the elusive toponium. With this discovery, the fundamental structure of matter could be deciphered in even greater detail.

3 July 2025|Press release

Music meets cosmos at the Sternstunden Festival 2025

Photo: Jakob Timm

Over 30 concerts, presentations, and interactive experiments: On 18–19 July 2025, the expanses of the Hamburg Observatory in Bergedorf will transform for the third time into a stage for music and astronomy.

27 June 2025|Press release

Looking for inspiration? Try a short nap.

Dr. Anika Löwe (left) and Dr. Marit Petzka

Photo: private (2)

Sleep increases the ability to creatively solve problems. That was the result of a study of 90 subjects at the University of Hamburg. Indeed, it is possible to use the levels of brain activity measured during sleep to predict the likelihood of a lightbulb moment after waking. The results are...

17 June 2025|Press release

UKE Joins PIER PLUS Research Alliance

Entrance to the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

Photo: UKE

The PIER PLUS research alliance fosters and strengthens cooperation and networking among universities and non-university research institutions in Hamburg. The UKE has now become its 23rd member.

16 June 2025|Press release

Focusing on cooperation: The University of Hamburg Publishes 2024 Annual Report

Photo: University of Hamburg

Interdisciplinary curricula, the evolution of the Science City in Bahrenfeld, and international networking and research projects: The University’s latest annual report shows how cooperation works at the University of Excellence and beyond—now available in both German and English for the first time.

5 June 2025|Press release

The University of Hamburg Passes Comprehensive Sustainability Strategy 2030

Title page, 2030 Sustainability Strategy

Photo: PureSolution/Shutterstock

Steering the University of Hamburg’s sustainable and digital transformation in the upcoming 5 years is the goal of the University’s 2030 Sustainability Strategy. The strategy is the result of an extensive, participatory process in which people from the entire University took part.

28 May 2025|Press release

From Space Travel to Sign Language: Researchers Storm Hamburg’s Pubs

Photo: University of Hamburg

Do we bathe in dark matter? How do we tap into the mysteries of a 5,000-year-old letter? Is climate protection a private matter or a national goal? And does the language I use shape my identity? At "Science on Tap", researchers from the University of Hamburg and DESY answer fascinating and urgent...

26 May 2025|Press release

Sustainability Week: Sustainability Initiatives at the University

The tiny house on the Von-Melle-Park Campus

Photo: University of Hamburg / Esfandiari

The Sustainability Week is a platform for sharing ideas, research findings, and visions of a sustainable future. For the second time, Sustainability Week is taking place at the University of Hamburg. From 2 to 6 June, 2025, there will be talks, the Open Plenum 6.0, exhibitions, workshops, and a...

22 May 2025|Press release

A Great Success: The University of Hamburg Awarded Four Clusters of Excellence

Main building of the University of Hamburg

Photo: UHH/Denstorf

The University of Hamburg was extremely successful in the framework of the Excellence Strategy, securing funding for the 4 existing clusters of excellence in the next funding round from January 2026. The University has thus consolidated its top position among the leading group of German research...

7 May 2025|Press release

Five Committed Teachers Receive University of Hamburg Teaching Prize

Teaching prize award ceremony at the University of Hamburg

Photo: University of Hamburg / Esfandiari

On 6 May 2025, the new University of Hamburg Teaching Prize was awarded for the first time. Dr. Susanne Koch, Anton Sefkow, Lukas Musumeci, Marten Borchers, and Prof. Dr. Parisa Moll-Khosrawi were honored in 3 categories. The prize will be awarded annually. It honors outstanding teaching and aims to...

24 April 2025|Press release

New University of Hamburg study on nutritional decision-making: When hunger drives perception

A table with unhealthy and healthy food is located in the background. An eye, set within a cogwheel, is located in the middle of the foreground. Combined, the images are intended to represent the perception mechanism in nutritional decision-making.

Photo: Jennifer March

Why do we opt for unhealthy food when we’re hungry? A new study by researchers at the University of Hamburg shows that hunger doesn’t just shape our preferences, it also influences how we view food at different times. Nutritional value and healthy choices tend to take a back seat.

10 April 2025|Press release

First Full Genomic Sequencing of 6 Primate Species

Photo: Pixabay/DaFranzos

An international research team, including researchers from the Department of Biology at the University of Hamburg, sequenced the complete genomes of 6 primate species that are closely related to humans. Their analyses facilitate deeper insights into the evolution of primates and form the basis for...

9 April 2025|Press release

New Job Model: University of Hamburg Establishes Senior Lectureships

Symbolic photo of a lecturer with a student attending a seminar

Photo: University of Hamburg / von Wieding

Attractive job models to foster diverse careers— the University of Hamburg treads new paths in the competition for the brightest minds, nationally and internationally. The Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences hired 2 senior lecturers by 1 April 2025: novel permanent positions in...

26 March 2025|Press release

Focus on climate protection and conservation: public lectures in summer semester

Photographing the globe with a cell phone

Photo: University of Hamburg / Esfandiari

On 7 April, the University’s General Lecture Series will start again, with over 140 public lectures. The public is welcome to attend the free lectures throughout the semester and hear about current research on political, cultural, and societal topics.

18 March 2025|Press release

Guarding Hamburg Against Biohazards: BMBF Funding for Drills

View of the flashing blue light of a police car in the foreground, with a fire truck in the background.

Photo: iStock/Reinhard Krull

Over the next 3 years, Hamburg authorities will conduct drills to optimally prepare for biohazard emergencies. This is to improve cooperation and be transferable to other regions. The project receives expert guidance from a University of Hamburg research team.

25 February 2025|Press release

Successful Start of Second MOTRA Round

Photo: University of Hamburg / Esfandiari

The collaborative project Radicalization Monitoring System and Transfer Platform (Monitoringsystem und Transferplattform Radikalisierung, MOTRA), which includes 2 research groups from Hamburg, is entering its second funding phase. After successfully completing the first funding phase (2019 to 2024)...

18 February 2025|Press release

University of Hamburg celebrates the Deutschlandstipendium’s 10th anniversary

Photo: University of Hamburg / von Wieding

For the 10th time, the University of Hamburg is awarding the Deutschlandstipendium on 19 February 2025. This year, 329 young students will enjoy the scholarship. This is almost 20 percent more compared to last year. In the past several years, more than 1,800 scholarships have been awarded, with just...

17 February 2025|Press release

Artificial Intelligence Enables Better Storm Surge Forecasts

Photo: D. Solce / unsplash

Using weather data, a traditional climate calculation model, and artificial intelligence, Dr. Daniel Krieger of the University of Hamburg’s Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN) is able to provisionally forecast the frequency and height of storm surges for the next 10 years. The...

11 February 2025|Press release

Study! But what? Unitag at the University of Hamburg 2025

Illustration of students in front of the Audimax at the University of Hamburg

Photo: University of Hamburg / Vogiatzis

The University of Hamburg invites all prospective students on 25 February 2025 to get to know northern Germany’s largest university and its broad range of subjects. At the Unitag, visitors can check out over 170 events from 8 am to 5 pm. There will be introductions to degree programs and overarching...

7 February 2025|Press release

New study in the journal Science: The Arctic—Unrecognizable in 2100?

Photo: UHH/CEN/T. Wasilewski

On 2 February 2025, in the midst of the Arctic winter, the temperature at the North Pole was a tad over freezing. Global warming has already dramatically changed the Arctic. By 2100, temperatures the world over will rise an average of 2.7 degrees, even if all countries keep their climate pledges...

4 February 2025|Press release

Watching Videos of People with Cold Symptoms Activates Brain Regions and Triggers Immune Response

Photo: Pexels

People watching videos of sneezing or sick people show increased activity at the junction of brain regions and the immune system that react to potential dangers. At the same time, the concentration of antibodies in their saliva increases. Findings from a study conducted by researchers in the...

24 January 2025|Press release

Study on sonic dominance: Producers Set the Tone in Hip-Hop

Dr. Tim Ziemer of the Institute of Systematic Musicology

Photo: Tim Ziemer

Eminem, Jay-Z, LL Cool J, or Nas—it is often the star rappers who claim sovereignty over the sound of a track through their voice and lyrics. The subject literature reveals contradictory views about who really determines the sound of a music production. In a study published in the Journal of the...

15 January 2025|Press release

Single-Celled Organisms with Super Powers: tiny organisms buffer fertilizers in the world’s oceans

Photo: UHH/Glock

“Foraminifera” are found in all of the world’s oceans. Now, an international study headed by the University of Hamburg has shown that these tiny shell-wearing creatures absorb harmful phosphates from the water to an extent previously unknown. The article was published in the journal Nature.

7 January 2025|Press release

Wir wollen’s wissen— The University Visits Schools

High school students listening to a researcher

Photo: University of Hamburg

In the interactive teaching format Wir wollen’s wissen, University of Hamburg researchers trade the lecture hall for the classroom and present their research to Hamburg’s high school students. The next round is taking place at the end of January and talks can still be booked.