Bayreuth Humboldt Centre: „Science should and must go on“
New Short Term Grantees, Research at a distance and the first Bayreuth Humboldt Centre Prospectus
Recently the Bayreuth Humboldt Centre awarded another five Short Term Grants to international researchers from South Africa, Norway, Canada, Italy and the United States. Together with their hosts at the University of Bayreuth they will come to Bayreuth in 2021 and collaborate in joint research projects. The new Grantees are experts in plant ecology, practical philosophy, clinical psychology, nanotechnology and history. Their innovative and sustainable proposals won over the Executive Board of the Bayreuth Humboldt Centre especially since their collaborations are expected to leverage synergies with institutes and focus areas even beyond the funded research stay.
The new Short Term Grantees
“Despite the ongoing challenges for international research mobility our research collaborations do take place beyond borders – and not only online. We cannot underestimate the intrinsic motivation of researchers, who overcome the present barriers with our support, to drive their projects forward,” says Prof. Dr. Anna Köhler, Executive Director of the Bayreuth Humboldt Centre.
Dr. Danielle Arigo, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Rowan University, USA, and her host, Junior Professor Dr. Laura König, Public Health Nutrition, will work on the project “Reducing Measurement Reactivity in Physical Activity Research”.
Prof. Dr. Attila Tanyi from the University of Tromsø, Norway addresses “The Role of Reasons in the Ethics of Health Care Allocation” with his host, Prof. Dr. Julian Fink, Practical Philosophy.
Dr. Daniel Teh, Senior Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore investigates “Recombinant spider silk protein encapsulation to enhance upconversion implant biocompatibility and anti-microbial properties” with Professor Dr. Thomas Scheibel.
PD Dr. Thomas Wallnig, currently guest professor at the University of Padua, Italy and PD Dr. Stefan Benz from Didactics of History collaborate on the project “Distant Reading Modern Historiography: Three Case Studies”.
Dr. Corli Wigley-Coetsee, Staff Scientist with the South Africa National Parks, and her host, Professor Dr. Steven Higgins, Plant Ecology, analyse “Determinants of phenological events in African savanna trees”.
Cooperations online and offline
From the previous selections two researchers from the Russian Federation and the UK were, resp. currently are guests at the University of Bayreuth:
In January 2021, Dr. Maxim Vlasov came to Bayreuth from Ural Federal University in Yekaterinburg to work with Prof. Dr. Mirijam Zobel, Junior Professor for Solid State Chemistry. Since 2017, they jointly organise the “Travelling Seminar”, a summer school that was awarded a prestigious DAAD award in 2020. Now Maxim Vlasov paid a visit to the University of Bayreuth for the very first time: “For me, international research is not only working within joint projects and performing experiments, but it is also a unique opportunity to experience how scientific and educational processes are organised in a foreign university.” And Mirijam Zobel adds: “We can indulge into a different scientific culture. Only with mutual appreciation of work ethics and mentalities, long-lasting scientific collaboration becomes possible.”
Prof. Dr. Mirijam Zobel, Junior Professor for Solid State Chemistry at the University of Bayreuth, and Dr. Maxim Vlasov from Ural Federal University in Yekaterinburg.
Presently, also Prof. Dr. Cristina Borgoni Gonçalves (Epistemology) and Prof. Dr. Gabriel Wollner (Political Philosophy) collaborate on several projects with Junior Fellow Yannig Luthra from the University of Essex. While Yannig Luthra and Cristina Borgoni discuss new possibilities of how to imagine cooperation between individuals, the project with Gabriel Wollner tackles the relationship of social freedom and collective action in political contexts. The pandemic has changed their work as well, they collaborate mainly online, says Cristina Borgoni: “Being present adds a different quality, especially with long discussions; they are not the same via video. Nevertheless, it is indeed a very productive collaboration. We have a very active semester and Yannig has really become a member of the department with the Fellowship.”
Clockwise from top left: Prof. Dr. Cristina Borgoni Gonçalves, Junior Fellow Dr. Yannig Luthra und Prof. Dr. Gabriel Wollner.