The University of Göttingen is an internationally renowned research university. Founded in 1737 in the Age of Enlightenment, the University is committed to the values of social responsibility of science, democracy, tolerance and justice. It offers a comprehensive range of subjects across 13 faculties: in the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences and medicine. With about 30,000 students and more than 210 degree programmes, the University is one of the largest in Germany.
New press releases

Reminder: Evacuation on Saturday 25 March due to WWII bomb disposal
As the City of Göttingen has announced previously, suspected explosive devices from World War II will be made safe on Saturday 25 March. The work will start from 06:00. The City has published the area that will have to be evacuated and this will affect large parts of Göttingen and the Central Campus of the University.
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Senate confirms Vice-President
The Senate of the University of Göttingen has confirmed Dr Valérie Schüller’s appointment as the University's full-time Vice-President for Finance and Human Resources. The University Foundation Committee has already endorsed the Senate's proposal. Schüller has been full-time Vice-President of the University of Göttingen since 2019. Her second term will begin on 1 April 2025.
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Award for branching worm named after Godzilla’s nemesis
Branching marine worms are extremely rare: bizarre creatures with one head but a body that branches re-peatedly into multiple posterior ends. Only three such species are known, and one of these worm species has just been awarded a place in the top-ten marine species from 2022 by the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Named Ramisyllis kingghidorahi after King Ghidorah, Godzilla’s monster enemy, the new species was first described by an international team led by Göttingen University.
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Earthquake in Turkey and Syria
In recent days, we have received shocking images and news of the disaster in Syria and Turkey. Many people who study or work here at the University of Göttingen come from Turkey or Syria or have relatives and friends there. Our thoughts are with all those affected and their relatives. Help is needed urgently. We therefore strongly support the appeal for donations by the City of Göttingen and ask you to donate to one of the organisations mentioned there.
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Plant roots fuel tropical soil animal communities
A research team led by Göttingen University has shed new light on the importance of plant roots for belowground life, particularly in the tropics. Millions of small creatures toiling in a single hectare of soil including earthworms, springtails, mites, insects, and other arthropods are crucial for decomposition and soil health. For a long time, it was believed that leaf litter is the primary resource for these animals. However, this recent study is the first to provide proof that resources derived from plant roots drive soil animal communities in the tropics.
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Mechanical weeding promotes ecosystem functions and profit in industrial oil palm
Oil palm trees are the most productive oil crop and global demand is increasing. However, their productivity is due to conventional management practices including high fertilizer usage and herbicide application, resulting in severe environmental damage. A new study by an international, multidisciplinary research team led by the University of Göttingen, shows that shifting to mechanical weeding and reducing fertilizer usage lead to signif-icant increases in both ecosystem multifunctionality and profit.
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