Research Areas

The innovative research TUM-IAS Fellows engage in does not usually happen in a vacuous environment. Fellows and their Hosts are part of research units at TUM. They either provide leadership to institutes, research units or laboratories or are prominent guests at those. TUM-IAS deems such an institutional embedding necessary and gives it the status of a Focus Group. Focus Groups form the local, topical and organizational units of the Institute. They provide the social environment where Fellows, Hosts, their doctoral candidates, and collaborators meet to share the development of their topic, organize activities, and cater for mutual support. Ideally, these teams are also diverse in terms of disciplines and gender.

TUM-IAS is Fellow-driven, not thematically driven. However, big themes emerge dynamically and are further developed over time. The Research Areas embedded into TUM-IAS therefore cover a wide range of innovative, interdisciplinary fields. While the Fellowships can only last for a limited period of time, it is their purpose to establish sustainable, long-term research collaborations that are embedded in the seven TUM Schools.