Since its founding in 2016, the President of the University of Tübingen has been serving as the TRC’s spokesperson. Bernd Engler has been in office since 2006 and has recently been elected to his third consecutive term. During his tenure, the university has been awarded the title University of Excellence and has recently been successful in securing 3 Clusters of Excellence. The university is currently competing in the German Excellence Strategy and is hoping to regain the status of excellence.
As a full professor of American Studies, Bernd Engler has extensive international experience. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Amherst/Massachusetts (USA), a visiting scholar at the University of Sussex (UK), a research fellow at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (USA) and the University of Maryland, College Park (USA). In 2007, he became a member of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and in 2013 Dôshisha University in Japan awarded him an honorary doctorate.
3 questions to Bernd Engler
What makes the research environment in Tübingen unique?
The University of Tübingen has been promoting innovation and internationalization for many years. As one of the oldest universities in Germany, Tübingen has contributed greatly to the education of many renowned scientists and scholars. Our research-intensive university and a large number of non-university research institutions in the vicinity offer unparalleled opportunities for top-level research. The TRC embodies a novel approach to enhance the international visibility of Tübingen as a prime location at the forefront of cutting-edge research. By joining forces, the partners can create synergies, foster collaboration and offer outstanding conditions to researchers on all levels of qualification. We firmly believe in interdisciplinary research and encourage our researchers to cooperate closely in the constantly evolving research landscape.
Which advantages has the collaboration within the Tübingen Research Campus (TRC) offered its partners?
Interdisciplinary research is at the core of the concept. Together, the university and the non-university research institutions have created a highly competitive research environment. This year’s proposals for the Clusters of Excellence have included researchers from various institutions. The University of Tübingen, the University Hospital and the institutes of the Max Planck Society, the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers and the Leibniz Association can join forces and jointly recruit high profile international dual career couples by making offers that can easily compete with other top research institutions.
How would you describe Tübingen to international researchers?
Even though Tübingen is a small town, research and education have formed the city. Centuries of breakthroughs in research have shaped the vibrant and picturesque town. International researchers and their families will immediately feel at home both academically as well as socially.
