Research Database: Projects

Force fields have a very large influence on the simulation results of molecules and are the subject of Robin Strickstrock's PhD. The main focus of his research is the (further) development of an automated, algorithm-driven optimisation of the force field parameters, which enables the computer simulations to reproduce or predict properties of new substances on both a molecular and macroscopic level.  

In recent years, the collective participation of citizens has increasingly found its way into the German health care system in order to make health policy decisions that better meet the needs of patients. Because of the challenges in the implementation of collective participation  as well as the ongoing discussion about the democratic deficit in the German health care system, PhD student Sandra Wrzeziono examines  the understanding of democracy of citizens by means of qualitative interviews. The project aims to shed more light on the implications for the future design of institutionalized citizen participation.

Raw meat quickly shows bacterial infestation. If the infected meat is consumed, it can be a health hazard above a certain amount. Daniel Klein therefore wants to make contaminations (e.g. bacteria) visible on complex surfaces (e.g. meat). He combines spectroscopic data from IR and Raman spectroscopy from the same measuring regions to show where contaminations can be found. The combination of the two methods should increase the information content of the data set and at the same time reduce the error rate in contamination detection. 

What can't be cured must be endured, however, researchers are trying to change this fact and are aiming to improve and provide new treatment options for a variety of different diseases. One of these diseases are large, so-called “critical size” bone injuries, which cannot heal in the life span of an individual without extensive interventions. One approach to change this is using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) which have shown a great potential for treatment of such conditions. They can differentiate into bone cells and release therapeutic factors in addition. Under specific circumstances however, they can be limited in quantity and they cannot retain their abilities during prolonged lab culture. Recently, the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), for which the Nobel Prize was given in 2012, offered a new approach. These cells can be generated into mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs) in the lab on-demand and are thus providing a possible alternative technique. iMSCs have similarities to MSCs but still little is known about them. In this project, Sarah Shoushrah will discern how similar and effective iMSCs are in comparison to MSCs for future applications in bone repair.

N-nitrosamines are partly highly volatile compounds that can be formed in many different industrial processes and are classified as carcinogenic. Due to their high health risk, it is of acute interest that reliable, sensitive and mobile systems for the detection and quantification of N-nitrosamines are developed. Doctoral student Jana Hinz is working on the development of a GC-FAIMS system, a measuring device for the rapid analysis of N-nitrosamines. This system is to be used in various branches of industry. Compared to common methods, GC-FAIMS offers the advantage of being fast, applicable on site and cost-efficient.

  Due to their highly sensitive olfactory system, sniffer dogs have the special ability to sniff out drugs, explosives, people or animals on the basis of their scent. But how sensitive is the dog and how reliable is its detection? To get to the bottom of this, doctoral student Jennifer Braun is looking into methods for the quality-assured quantification of VOCs, which primarily involve instrumental analysis but also the sniffer dog.  

In recent years, 3D cameras based on the time-of-flight method - also driven by the use in smartphones - have increasingly found their way into our everyday lives. The possible applications of this technology are immense, be it for automatic environment detection in the automotive sector, security and automation functions in robotics, tasks of automatic area monitoring, biometric problems or even the contactless control of technical devices. The aim of the research work of PhD student Markus Rohde is to expand the application areas of such 3D cameras. For example, the range for outdoor applications, which is currently limited to about 10 meters, is to be extended to more than 20 meters. For this purpose, innovative infrared laser illuminations are being developed and approaches to signal processing close to the sensor are being researched.

The ongoing digitalisation and introduction of new information systems in everyday working life means that ever larger amounts of personal data of employees are processed by their employers. This development is particularly problematic with regard to employee data protection when employees have neither sufficient knowledge nor control over the processing and thus the right to informational self-determination as a fundamental element of human dignity is threatened. To compensate for the lack of knowledge and skills in exercising the right to privacy at the workplace, Dokorand Jan Tolsdorf is designing and testing an assistance system in the form of a "privacy dashboard" for everyday work. For its prototypical implementation, design guidelines are to be derived from the mental models and privacy perceptions of employees, with the help of which data processing and data flows in the work environment can be prepared in an understandable way, sensitised to possible infringements of privacy and options for intervention can be shown, so that employees become capable of acting.

Due to the steady advance of digitalisation, it can be commonly observed that all products are increasingly developing into services in runtime contracts (subscriptions). In this context, the term "Everything-as-a-Service" (XaaS) is usually used. As a result, consumers are entering into more and more (term) contracts over which they need to keep an overview (e.g. compare, monitor terms, etc.) and interact with providers (e.g. cancel). To support this, there are already many apps, service providers and emerging start-ups. PhD student Erik Dethier is looking at how information technology can help consumers manage their contracts, finances and thus their providers. Together with his colleagues from the research group Consumer Informatics, he is conducting research on consumers and their acceptance and integration of such IT into their everyday practices, as well as on developers of such IT/apps.

Positive psychology focuses on people's strengths, resources and potentials and examines how psychological well-being and positive development can be supported. PhD student Joline Baumbach is particularly concerned with Positive Psychology in the work context, focusing on the recovery from work-related stress and the experience of flow. These two psychological constructs are related to health and performance-related variables, making them desirable states for employees as well as companies. Intervention and longitudinal studies will be used to identify and analyse underlying mechanisms of action and influencing factors. Based on this, differentiated measures to promote recovery and flow will be derived in order to positively influence the long-term health and motivation of employees.