Departments at the Doctoral School NRW

The Department of Life Sciences and Health Technologies is a networking platform for research-oriented professors and doctoral candidates from universities of applied sciences and universities working in the life sciences — one of the leading disciplines of the 21st century — focusing on processes and structures of living organisms or processes involving them.

The Department of Media and Interactions is a networking platform for research-oriented professors and doctoral candidates from universities of applied sciences and universities who analyze and explore the human-centered challenges and opportunities of the mediatization and digitalization of society.

In the Department of Resources and Sustainability, more than 70 professors from universities of applied sciences conduct research together with their doctoral candidates. Their work focuses on mostly finite natural resources such as water, air, raw materials, soil, and ecosystems, as well as on communication, information, security, food, energy, and mobility. Sustainability serves as a cross-cutting theme in the department’s interdisciplinary research.

The Department of Social and Health Affairs focuses on the fields of ‘Social Affairs’ and ‘Health’. At the core of its research is social interaction and community life. Researchers study both individuals in need of social or health-related support and the structures — such as services, participation opportunities, and professional standards — within social and healthcare systems.

The Department of Technology and Systems focuses on intelligent technical systems. This includes the systematic and intelligent networking of information and software components, machines, and industrial plants with built-in intelligence and partial autonomy. The main focus areas are cyber-physical systems and automation and control.

The Department of Business and Markets deals with the dynamics of economic activity. It focuses on understanding the technological, social, and political forces that shape and influence economic activities and framework conditions.