Department of Biology

 

Faculty 1 - Department of  Biology

 

The subject of biology includes the organization and development of living beings, as well as their structures and processes. In addition, biology tries to clarify the laws of life and make them usable for humans. Aachen has two research specializations "Securing and transforming biomass," and "Neurobiology and bionics“.

 

In the former area, biology helps to secure the demand for food, renewable resources and energy of a growing global population by providing plants from a limited area available for cultivation. At the same time, the impact agriculture has on ecosystems is studied, and the effects of genetically modified organisms on the environment is reduced to a responsible minimum. An additional research aspect is the conversion of available plant biomass by means of microorganisms into products that are, in turn, sources of energy, used as precursors for other sources of energy, or constitute raw materials for producing chemicals.

 

The "Neurobiology and bionics" specialization looks primarily at molecular, cellular and structural aspects of (neuro-)biological systems. In a post-genome era, the fascinating, analytical spectrum of the neurosciences provides a basis for a detailed understanding of neuro-physiological processes that are of fundamental biological significance.

The boundaries between academic basic research and the applied neurosciences are fluid in this area. Biology finds itself at the crossroads of medicine, materials science, and behavioral studies.