The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) is made up of four closely integrated departments, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Computer Science and Applied Cognitive Science, and Mechanical and Process Engineering. Together they cover a unique breadth of research topics and provide instruction at the highest level in seven teaching units that relate closely to the main areas of research. The numerous internationally oriented Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes on offer here are currently host to around 11,400 young people from over 110 countries. This and 92 professorships in 73 institutes and chairs combine to make it one of the largest engineering faculties in Germany.

Supported by seven affiliated and other collaborating institutes, the Faculty quickly and efficiently translates the results of its research with partners from national and international research institutions and in business and industry into practice. It is not only for this reason that engineering at the University of Duisburg-Essen has an excellent reputation worldwide in many areas. It occupies leading positions in nanotechnology and in combustion research and conducts top-level research in automotive engineering, energy, environmental process engineering and solid state electronics, in the optimisation of communications, radio and radar systems, energy grids, and optoelectronics and interactive media systems. In association with an affiliated institute, the Development Centre for Ship Technology and Transport Systems (DST), the Faculty runs one of the largest university institutes for ship technology and ocean engineering in Germany. In Industrial Engineering, graduates with a multitude of skills are trained at the interface between engineering and management, especially for the automotive industry, while Civil Engineering occupies leading positions in the CHE ranking. Cognitive scientists and psychologists at the UDE are also part of the Faculty of Engineering. No matter what technical advances are made, it is still people who control devices and programme machines, and human–machine interaction therefore continues to be an important part of research today.

After intense discussion, the Faculty decided in 2016 to organise its research activities in four “Research Profiles” (FSP), which are

Tailored Materials,

Human-Centered Cyber Physical Systems,

Smart Engineering, and

Energy and Resource Engineering.

Guidelines for organisation of the research profiles were developed, and the FSPs are supported by newly created positions for coordinators, whose job it will be to ensure efficient organisation, support and development.