Welcome to the Faculty of Biology
Faculty of Biology
has three main areas of research: medical biology, water and environmental research
and empirical teaching and learning research.
The faculty in numbers
> 1600 students
7,5M€ grants
7,85 M€ budget
54 non scientific staff
130 scientific staff
22 professors
The website of the Faculty of Biology is currently under construction!
Our research focuses
from molecular biology issues, through the level of organs and organisms to complex ecosystems
Research focus Medical Biology
Biomedical research at the Faculty aims to identify disease mechanisms at the molecular level and to develop biotechnological methods that can be used to influence these processes in order to develop more precise diagnostics and novel active substances.
Research focus Water and environmental research
The focus of the working groups on "Water Research" is on questions relating to the development, changes and restoration of aquatic biodiversity from the level of genes and species communities to ecosystems and their function. In addition to basic research, the focus is on interdisciplinary, application-oriented research projects.
Research focus Empirical teaching and learning research
The research focus on subject-related empirical teaching and learning research investigates questions relating to the learning and teaching of biology at school, at university or at extracurricular learning venues. In cooperation with other working groups in subject didactics and teaching-learning research, they also investigate interdisciplinary questions. They are integrated into the Interdisciplinary Center for Educational Research (IZfB) and the Center for Teacher Education (ZLB).
Latest news from the Faculty of Biology
Autumn 2026
Funding from German Cancer Aid
TaNGo Against Breast Cancer
- von Birte Vierjahn
- 21.09.2026
Simply switching off a protein that helps breast cancer cells to grow? That is not enough for researchers at the University of Duisburg-Essen. They want to make it disappear completely. As part of the TaNGo research project, funded by German Cancer Aid to the tune of around 290,000 euros, molecular biologist Prof. Dr. Shirley Knauer and chemist Prof. Dr. Jens Voskuhl are working together to develop a strategy for removing the cancer-related protein Taspase1 from tumour cells.
Summer 2026 Victoria Momand
Victoria Momand makes proteins glow
Proteins are the invisible engines of our bodies. Victoria Momand wants to make them visible. In her PhD research, she is investigating a little-known enzyme and using state-of-the-art microscopy to peer deep into the cell. A conversation about curiosity, setbacks and the fascination of piecing together the puzzle of life.
(by Janina Balzer)
Summer 2026 Genetic Traces Reveal River Residents
1,072 Species in a Bucket of Water
- 26.08.2026
Can DNA traces in just two litres of water reveal how a river’s biodiversity changes over the course of a year? A study by the University of Duisburg-Essen using the River Lippe as an example shows how biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems can be monitored comprehensively, efficiently and at comparatively low cost. The results have now been published in the journal Ecological Indicators.
Summer 2026
New Funding for Glioblastoma Research
Novel Therapeutic Approach Under Investigation
- von Juliana Fischer
- 02.07.2026
Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer. Even after surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the tumour often returns rapidly. Researchers at the University of Duisburg-Essen are therefore pursuing a new strategy: targeting the key protein Taspase1 by modulating its activity while simultaneously removing it through a natural cellular degradation pathway. The Dr Rolf M. Schwiete Foundation will support the project with funding for 24 months from October 2026.
Summer 2026
When teamwork doesn't stop at the lab door. Several members of the #ZMB and #CRC1430 from the research groups of Hemmo Meyer and Perihan Nalbant, together with colleagues from the #ICCE, took part in this year's E.ON Company Run in Essen. 🏃♀️🏃♂️ A great example of team spirit beyond the lab and a reminder that strong collaborations are built both in research and outside of it.
Sonja Rückert President of the International Society of Protistologists
- von Astrid Bergmeister
- 26.06.2026
A major international recognition for the aquatic sciences at the University of Duisburg-Essen: Protistologist and parasitologist Prof. Dr. Sonja Rückert assumed the presidency of the International Society of Protistologists on June 1, 2026. Her research focuses on eukaryotic microbiology: she studies parasitic and symbiotic single-celled eukaryotic organisms—known as protists—in aquatic ecosystems.