The search for a suitable vaccine is a central research area in the fight against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. An important step towards this is to understand how the virus penetrates the cells. The protein responsible for this is the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein on the virus surface which allows the virus to enter the host cell.

Thomas Sokolowski joined the FIAS in April 2020 as part of the LOEWE focus CMMS. In an interview he explains how he uses stochastic methods and fundamental physical laws to describe complicated biochemical processes on the cell and tissue level efficiently and as accurately as possible.

Prof. Dr. Enrico Schleiff, Senior Fellow and Chairman of the Board of the FIAS was elected President of the Goethe University by the extended Senate on Wednesday (July 8). The term of office is six years and will begin on January 1, 2021, following his appointment by the University Council. The former Vice President and Professor of Molecular Cell Biology of Plants at Goethe University was elected by an absolute majority of 18 votes out of the 34 members of the Senate.

The FAIR and GSI high-performance computing center developed in cooperation with FIAS is particularly energy-efficient thanks to its special cooling system. This makes it the first computer center to be awarded the Federal Government's eco-label. With the Green IT Cube, one of the most powerful scientific computing centers in the world was built at the GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt. The novel cooling technology was developed by FIAS board members Volker Lindenstruth and Horst Stöcker.

Prof. Thomas Lippert, expert for high-performance and quantum computing, is a new Senior Fellow at FIAS. The physicist and computer scientist will also occupy the newly created professorship for "Modular Supercomputing and Quantum Computing" at the Institute for Computer Science at Goethe University Frankfurt from August 1, 2020.

Since May, Maria Barbarossa has been a FIAS Fellow and research group leader within Loewe's focus area CMMS (Center for Multiscale Modeling in Life Sciences). Her work is dedicated to the development of mathematical models and methods for understanding multiscale processes in immunology and the dynamics of epidemics. In this interview, she talks about her career and her current research on the COVID-19 epidemic.

Within the new LOEWE focus "Center for Multiscale Modeling in Life Sciences" (CMMS), the FIAS was able to recruit three new group leaders as Fellows.

The Romanian Academy of Sciences (Academia Română) has appointed Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Horst Stöcker as honorary member in recognition of his work on hot, dense elementary matter in heavy ion research and astrophysics, as well as his many years of commitment to the international scientific community. He is thus one of 91 foreign scientists who are entitled to bear this title.

Using a new model, scientists from the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) and Goethe University can explain the development of binocular vision, which is the joint vision of the right and left eye. In doing so, they show how amblyopic visual impairment can occur.

In connection with the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the Goethe University provides information on mobility and health care. We refer to recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute and the Federal Foreign Office.

​In October 2019, during the Sino-German Conference for Science, Technology, Innovation and Cooperation in Berlin, representatives of Xidian University and FIAS signed the founding documents of the XF-IJRC.

Numerous working groups at FIAS work with methods of machine learning. In order to intensify the scientific exchange between the many scientists involved, the FIAS PhD students and Postdocs have created an exchange platform on their own initiative with the installation of the Journal Club.

The annual FIAS summer party, which was attended by numerous FIAS members, served as a worthy platform to award Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder with the newly established prize.

The Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS), a unique think tank in Germany for cross-linking the natural sciences, has a new board of directors.

How can complex biological systems be described theoretically and how can their functions be precisely predicted? The new LOEWE focus "CMMS - Multi-Scale Modelling in the Life Sciences" at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies will investigate this.

The FIAS and the Chinese Xidian University have confirmed the idea to establish a 'Joint Research Center' in AI research during a visit of the FIAS delegation under the leadership of the chairman of the FIAS board of directors, Prof. Dr. Enrico Schleiff.

With his article "Model Brain - Boundary Conditions for a Cognitive Architecture" FIAS Senior Fellow Christoph von der Malsburg has contributed a chapter to the book "Cognitive Computing - Theory, Technology and Practice" recently published by Springer Verlag.

Efficient power grids are an essential prerequisite for a successful conversion of the energy system. In order to support work on the power grids of the future, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is extending the funding of an interdisciplinary research project by three years, in which seven institutes, including the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies with Professor Stefan Schramm, are involved. The joint project is funded by the BMBF with a total of 2.5 million euros.