New faculty “This is a crucial moment”
For the first time since 1985, RUB is setting up a new faculty. Computer science is thus given a new significance as a focus of study and research.
“This is a crucial moment – and of great importance for our university,” says Rector Professor Axel Schölmerich. “By setting it up it in an own, new faculty, we are raising the visibility of one of our profile areas of research in a significant way.” For the first time since the current faculty structure was established in 1985, Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) is setting up a new faculty. The Faculty of Computer Science will officially start its work on 1 October 2021. Professor Alexander May has now been appointed as the Founding Dean.
“We are delighted that not only the participating disciplines and institutions have taken the step towards establishing this faculty, but that the entire university has supported this move. Everyone acknowledges the immense importance of computer science for our campus and supports it wholeheartedly,” says Chancellor Dr. Christina Reinhardt.
Tightly interlinked and effective degree programmes
“We are particularly pleased for our students, as the foundation of the faculty will unite three extraordinarily strong and closely interlinked degree programmes in computer science, applied computer science and IT security under one roof,” says Founding Dean May. “Already, the graduates of these degree programmes are highly sought after on the job market, and the quality and range of education will benefit significantly from the merger.”
With the help of the Center of Computer Science, founded in 2018, RUB has continuously increased its computer science expertise in recent years through a targeted appointment policy, which is now being bundled. “This allows the disciplines that are closely related to merge, to teach and to conduct research hand in hand. It gives us particular pleasure that the Institut für Neuroinformatik, as an established, strong research partner in the field of machine learning, will also be part of our faculty,” says Alexander May.
Excellent talents for a dynamic team
With the new appointments, RUB has focused on, high-performing early career researchers, so that the Faculty of Computer Science now consists of a dynamic team with ambitious goals. “This is evidenced by the acquisition of a Cluster of Excellence and the establishment of a Max Planck Institute for IT Security in the past three years alone, as well as by vigorous participation in various Collaborative Research Centres. In the future, computer science will continue to focus on interdisciplinary, pioneering research and close ties to high-performance non-university research institutions as well as IT-related companies in the region,” stresses the Founding Dean.
This dynamic is also reflected in the faculty’s extensive research portfolio, which covers important sub-disciplines of applied computer science, core computer science, neuroinformatics and IT security.