First Unite! Online Language Café starts January 15

If you want to learn a new language, you also have to speak it. Language learning theories argue that language learning takes place unconsciously and by chance through exchanges with native speakers or through contact with authentic language use outside the classroom. The Unite! Online Language Café (UOLC) aims to do just that and invites students from all Unite! universities for the first time on 15 January 2025

Submit your ideas for the 2nd Unite!-Ed Future Conference

The 2nd Unite!-Ed Future Conference – Reimagining Education for AI ready graduates – will be a showcase for Seed Funding Projects and a matchmaking event for those interested in joint teaching and joint programmes. The conference offers an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas with focus on, for example, interaction in digital and hybrid learning environments, student-centered learning and various aspects of sustainable development. The conference will be online via Zoom, on March 13.

New LOEWE start professorship: Charley Wu strengthens cognitive sciences at TU

The cognitive scientist Dr Charley Wu has been awarded a LOEWE start professorship at TU Darmstadt. His work focuses on the question of how artificial intelligence (AI) can use human learning strategies to become more flexible, efficient and social. Approximately two million euros of LOEWE funding will be provided for his research over a total of six years. The state is thus also supporting the full proposal of the research networks ‘The Adaptive Mind’ and ‘Resonable AI’ in the Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments, in which TU Darmstadt is significantly involved.

Unite! Seed Fund Initiative: Unite! Online Language Café

Unite!’s multilingual and multicultural environment provides an excellent setting for informal language learning which, based on language learning theories, can occur unconsciously and incidentally outside the classroom setting through interaction with native speakers or exposure to authentic language. The Unite! Online Language Café (UOLC) is designed to do just that – easily accessible and voluntary. It fosters informal interactions to promote and encourage students to use and learn all Unite! languages. A virtual space, where meetings are planned, the UOLC will be run by students for students starting on 15th January 2025.

Mechanical engineering alumnus Markus Schäfer is now Chief Technology Officer on the Mercedes-Benz Group’s Board of Management

Markus Schäfer graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at TU Darmstadt over 30 years ago. His first job after university was with Mercedes-Benz, where he has since enjoyed a stellar career. Today, he is the automotive group's Chief Technology Officer and responsible for development and procurement. This also includes the transition to electric mobility. The fundamental knowledge and practical relevance imparted at the TU “were extremely relevant later on in my professional life,” says the 59-year-old CTO.

Save the date for the XI Unite! Dialogue at UPC in Barcelona!

We are excited to announce that the 11th Unite! Dialogue will take place from February 25-28, 2025, at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-Barcelona Tech (UPC). This Dialogue will bring together the vibrant Unite! community to deepen collaboration among the nine partner universities of the Alliance, fostering innovation and collective growth.

TU alumnus Dr. Tobias Meyer is CEO of the DHL Group and head of almost 600,000 employees worldwide

Ever since he was a teenager, Tobias Meyer has loved gliding. So he studied industrial engineering at TU Darmstadt, specialising in aeronautical engineering, and later obtained a doctorate in mechanical engineering. He had originally planned to work on the development of the A 380 wide-bodied aircraft after graduating, but things turned out differently. Today, the TU alumnus is CEO of the DHL Group, the global logistics provider.

Four scientists honoured as Scholars and Fellows

The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) has accepted four researchers from the “Reasonable Artificial Intelligence” (RAI) cluster project as ELLIS Scholars and Fellow of its network. RAI is one of three projects involving TU Darmstadt that are in the running for a Cluster of Excellence.

Unite! students call for Improvement of the European rail systems

Europe is at a decisive crossroads in its pursuit of sustainability, with rail transport poised to reclaim its position as a cornerstone of mobility. The U!Train initiative brought together students from nine European universities to confront the challenges and unlock the potential of rail travel. During a collaborative mapathon last september, 28 students identified over 200 points of interest across the European rail network, highlighting areas that urgently need improvement. The culmination of these efforts is the U! Train Manifesto, a set of actionable recommendations aimed at transforming rail transport for a more sustainable and connected Europe.

TU alumnus Nikolai Setzer has been a member of the board of DAX-listed company Continental for 15 years

Nikolai Setzer is one of the graduates of the Business Administration and Engineering degree programme at the Technical University (TU) of Darmstadt. After completing his studies in Darmstadt and Bordeaux, he joined the automotive supplier Continental, where the TU Darmstadt alumnus rose to the top and became the company’s CEO and chair of the Executive Board within just a few years. Today, the 53-year-old has to lead the DAX-listed company through the crisis in the automotive industry.

Doctoral Network “Unite!Energy” receives funding as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action

Research for the energy transition: The international Doctoral Network “Unite!Energy”, with the participation of TU Darmstadt, is investigating the use of hydrogen for chemical energy storage. The network is being funded by the EU for four years with around 3.2 million euros. For the first time, all partners of the university alliance Unite! are involved in a joint doctoral network.

Ocean sustainability in the sights of ULISSES

ULisboa is holding the 5th edition of the project and applications are open from 15 November to 15 December. Under the motto ‘Ocean without Plastics’, the initiative aims to creatively develop innovative technological solutions to characterise and mitigate the pollution of the oceans by plastics, guaranteeing biodiversity and the sustainable reuse of these materials in applications with economic value.

New LOEWE Start professorship at the University of Gießen

Perception researcher Dr Katharina Dobs has been awarded a LOEWE start professorship at the Justus Liebig University of Gießen. Around 1.9 million euros in LOEWE funding will be provided over a total of six years for her research in applied computer science with a focus on cognitive systems. This will also help Hesse to strengthen the full proposal for the ‘The Adaptive Mind’ research network, in which the Technical University of Darmstadt is also involved, for the Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments.

Leading scientists of the cluster project ‘The Adaptive Mind’ (TAM) have presented their research in a new video. TAM is in the running for a Cluster of Excellence in the prestigious Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments.

Frank Weber, mechanical engineering alumnus of TU Darmstadt, is developing a new generation of electric cars as a board member at BMW

His passion for cars began in his garage at home. He completed his mechanical engineering degree at TU Darmstadt in ten semesters and later rose through the ranks at Opel and now at BMW, where he is responsible for the development of new technologies and models. His studies were the foundation, he says today. ‘You become good when you know what fascinates you.’