© Bielefeld University/ ZiF
Robust Decisions for Humans and AI
In the latest episode of the ZiF podcast ‘Interspaces’, the leaders of the Long-term Research Group discuss their research and the key challenges facing their interdisciplinary project.
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© Maximilian Hanusch
Invisible Chemical Landscapes Shape Life
Plants, animals and microorganisms are constantly communicating via chemical signals. A research team has now shown that these signals merge in the environment to form complex ‘chemical landscapes’ that have a far greater impact than their individual components.
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© Alejandro Arditi
Study investigates World Cup football fever 2026
Researchers at Bielefeld University are investigating how fans of different national teams physically respond to match events during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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© Marga van den Meydenberg
The nexus of drugs and violence
A new international research group at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research is investigating how the boundaries between legality and illegality influence economic life, political power and social relations.
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© Sarah Jonek
In Search of Shared Patterns
Dr Annika Burmester has been awarded a Klaus Tschira Boost Grant, which will fund her interdisciplinary research in mathematics. In this interview, the postdoctoral researcher discusses international influences and new opportunities for her work.
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© Bielefeld University
Deconstructing ‚Displacement‘, Reconstructing Housing
An international research group at Bielefeld University’s Centre for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) is exploring what good housing solutions might look like.
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© Isaac Rudich
Space logistics on the right track
How does one plan a space mission that involves visiting multiple celestial bodies which are constantly moving? Researchers at Bielefeld University have, for the first time, developed a precise mathematical approach to this problem.
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© Patrick Pollmeier
‘We want to develop AI with people rather than for them’
Artificial intelligence meets inclusion: Interview on new approaches to medical participation in the AI*IM Focus Area.
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© Philipp Ottendörfer
Three questions on post-socialism and coloniality
Can post-socialism be colonial? Research group leader Professor Dr Anna Amelina explains how this question is being explored from an interdisciplinary perspective at the ZiF in Bielefeld.
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© NERC funded Deep Links project, University of Plymouth, UK
Project advances protection of Atlantic corals
Researchers in Bielefeld are using AI-based image analysis to lay the groundwork for new marine protected areas. As part of the “Coral Cartography” project, cold-water corals in the Atlantic are being comprehensively mapped for the first time.
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© Bielefeld University
The Power of the Individual – Talks Now Online
The Individualisation Symposium 2026 brought leading researchers to Bielefeld. Two of the talks are now available online, offering insights into cooperation and social identity in humans and animals.
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© Patrick Pollmeier, image montage: deteringdesign
In times of crisis, we need spaces for creativity
How do good ideas emerge—and what allows them to grow? This is the topic in Focus Area PINC.
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© Sarah Jonek/ Bielefeld University
Why No Individual Is Like Another
Why do animals behave differently, and what are the consequences of this? A research team from the Collaborative Research Centre NC³ now provides a new explanation: epigenetic processes may play a key role.
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© Klaudia Kosieradzka, FMP, Berlin
Control mechanism against cellular stress identified
A discovery by a research team from Bielefeld University and the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) offers new avenues for the treatment of dementia and cancer.
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© Oliver Krüger
The Power of the Individual
At the Individualisation Symposium 2026, leading international researchers will gather at Bielefeld University to explore how individual differences shape social relationships in humans and animals.
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©
Measuring and Managing Uncertainty
An international series of workshops in March will bring together researchers from mathematics, economics, computer science, psychology, and sports science to develop new methods for dealing with uncertainty.
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© Stefan Sättele
Researching inequality, understanding conflicts
Inequality triggers conflict. The CoIn Focus Area is creating a framework to explore these tensions in an interdisciplinary manner and to decipher their causes.
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© Mike-Dennis Müller/Bielefeld University
Rare Does Not Mean Insignificant
On Rare Disease Day, February 28, the spotlight turns to conditions that are individually rare but together affect many families. At Bielefeld University, research into lysosomal storage disorders is opening up new perspectives — also for Parkinson’s and dementia.
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© piyaset/stock.adobe.com
From climate risks to football fever
Systematically quantifying and managing uncertainty is the core of the QUAMU Focus Area.
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© Amilciar/stock.adobe.com
Overlooked resilience in Venezuelan society
What does science say about Venezuela’s crisis? In the latest update of this ongoing article collection, two researchers point out that international debates focus too narrowly on political conflict.
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© Wissenswerkstadt Bielefeld/Sarah Jonek
Stadium fever measured—why live football raises the pulse
Fans of DSC Arminia Bielefeld experience matchday excitement far more intensely in the stadium than in front of the television when watching football (soccer). A study from Bielefeld University demonstrates clear differences in heart rate and stress levels during the 2025 cup final of the German Football Association (DFB).
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© deteringdesign
New BI.research: Growing together
13 Focus Areas are bringing together academics from different disciplines to advance outstanding topics. They demonstrate how the university is growing together. The new BI.research magazine presents them all.
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© Sergio Luna
How cities are changing social behaviour in urban animals
Cities profoundly shape how animals interact with one another. A new comprehensive review by researchers at Bielefeld University shows that urbanisation alters animal social behaviour – from mate choice to group living.
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© Robert/stock.adobe.com
WhatsApp data show: We often deceive ourselves
How active are we really in chats and how accurate is our self-perception? A new study using anonymized WhatsApp metadata shows how data-driven feedback can improve our understanding of communication and digital well-being.
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