The academic field of biology has undergone significant changes in almost all areas in recent years and decades, mainly due to new working methods at the molecular level. This has resulted in new interdisciplinary areas of research in the natural sciences, such as biochemistry, biophysics, biomedicine, and bioinformatics. At the same time, new application-oriented biological disciplines with bright future prospects for both science and industry, such as genetic engineering and biotechnology, have developed with remarkable speed.
The JGU Faculty of Biology has kept pace with this continuous diversification over the past 25 years and now focuses on three topic areas:
- Evolution, biodiversity, and anthropology
- Neurobiology and developmental biology
- Molecular structure biology, cell biology, and biotechnology.
Today, the JGU Faculty of Biology offers its students a wide range of biological fields for study and research, providing comprehensive and multifaceted education and training with excellent career prospects.
Advanced infrastructure for a research-focused life sciences campus: the BioCenters I and II are located close to other important pillars of the natural and life sciences in Mainz, such as the Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB), the Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, the JGU Department of Chemistry, and the Physics Institutes of Mainz University. Two Max Planck Institutes and the Helmholtz Institute Mainz complete the life sciences campus quarter. Short walking distances between all these institutions support close cooperation between the disciplines.
Theoretical evolutionary biologist Professor Hanna Kokko is one of the world’s leading specialists in her field. She came to Mainz University in 2023 with a prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Professorship, Germany’s most highly endowed research award. This was the second appointment of an outstanding Humboldt Professor to JGU within just a few years. Hanna Kokko’s research focuses on a better understanding of the interplay between evolutionary and ecological factors. Her research at the point of transition between theory and empiricism will foster interdisciplinary collaborations at various interfaces between theoretical and empirical approaches in biology, bioinformatics, and medicine.
Studying biology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz is exemplary in terms of the relevance and topicality of the scientific knowledge taught here, the international network of the faculty, and the opportunities for students to prepare for a successful career. International teaching collaborations and student exchange programs invite our students to gain cross-cultural experience. In this video, Master’s student Luca Rabbachin talks about why he chose to come to JGU and how he benefited from a student exchange within the FORTHEM Alliance.
Mainz University aims to prepare its students and young researchers for life and work in international and global contexts. In addition to gaining intercultural skills and experience, JGU students benefit from multinational study programs that strengthen their international connections and enhance their future career prospects. Professor Helen May-Simera, contact person for international exchange programs in the Faculty of Biology, is enthusiastic about the many opportunities for biology students at JGU to go abroad and experience different labs and research expertise.
The JGU Faculty of Biology is committed to diversity and equal opportunities. In this video, the faculty’s Equal Opportunity Officer, Professor Marion Silies, gives an insight into the various programs and activities for female researchers to support their scientific work and careers. For example, there are mentoring programs for female graduate students and postdocs as well as coaching opportunities for senior postdocs who want to pursue a career in academia.
Biotechnology is a key field of research in the 21st century with enormous potential to address pressing societal challenges. The broad and interdisciplinary field of biotechnology requires the networking of different disciplines, because innovations in biotechnology result from the collaboration of biology and chemistry with process engineering, engineering sciences, and computer science. Professor Eckhard Thines promotes interdisciplinary research as well as regional, national, and international collaboration – as Dean of the JGU Department of Biology and in his role as the Rhineland-Palatinate State Coordinator for Biotechnology.
Presenter Daniel Reißmann talks to scientists from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz about their research – providing facts, background information, and stories. Listeners learn exciting details about individual research areas at the Faculty of Biology and get to know our JGU experts, our “Minds of Mainz”. This Geman-language podcast series aims to make research and knowledge accessible to the general public and to arouse curiosity about the various disciplines at JGU.
The JGU Botanic Garden at the Department of Biology is a scientific garden. It aims to represent a wide spectrum of plant diversity and to contribute to its research and conservation. Regionally, the garden is committed to preserving the rare plants of Rhineland-Palatinate. The Botanic Garden is a vital part of campus life. Furthermore, it is open for the broad public to learn about plant diversity and why this is important in guided tours, exhibitions, and special events. The Green School in the Botanic Garden is an extracurricular place of hands-on experience and learning about nature and science for kids and youngsters of all school types and grades. The Green School program also intensifies networking between the university and schools in the region.
