Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies

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The Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS gGmbH) was founded in 2010 by SAP co-founder Klaus Tschira and the Klaus Tschira Foundation as a private, non-profit research institution. HITS conducts basic research in the natural sciences, mathematics and computer science for processing and structuring large amounts of data. The research fields range from molecular biology to astrophysics. The shareholders of HITS are the HITS Foundation, the University of Heidelberg and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) . HITS also works with other universities and research institutes as well as with industrial partners. HITS receives the greatest support through the HITS Foundation from the Klaus Tschira Foundation, the most important external donors are the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) , the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the European Union.

Research groups

There are currently the following research groups at HITS:

Astroinformatics (AIN)

The Astroinformatics research group has been working at HITS since 2013 to develop new approaches to analyzing and processing the increasing amounts of data in the field of astronomy. The approaches of this group are based on machine / statistical learning and support the researchers in carrying out the necessary analyzes.

Computational Carbon Chemistry (CCC)

The Computational Carbon Chemistry research group was established at HITS in 2019. The group works with the latest methods of computational chemistry to research organic materials and examine them for their practical application. She focuses on materials based on graphene.

Computational Molecular Evolution (CME)

The Computational Molecular Evolution research group works on methods for calculating evolutionary trees and on the development of new software and computer architectures for calculating family trees. It also makes its expertise in parallel computer architectures and parallel programming available to the other research groups and operates the research computer cluster and the IT infrastructure.

Computational Statistics (CST)

The research group Computational Statistics deals with mathematical principles and statistical methodology for predictions. The aim is to develop methods that enable probabilistic predictions, i.e. That is, predictions about probability of future events and sizes. This comes into play, for example, in weather forecasts, but also in forecast models for economic developments. The second research focus is spatial statistics, which is about the analysis and interpretation of spatial data.

Data Mining and Uncertainty Quantification (DMQ)

The research group Data Mining and Uncertainty Quantification uses state-of-the-art technology in the areas of high performance computing and uncertainty quantification to quantify uncertainties in large data sets and thus enable new findings in the area of ​​data mining.

Groups and Geometry (GRG)

The Groups and Geometry research group deals with various mathematical problems from the field of geometry and topology, in which the interplay between geometric spaces, such as Riemannian manifolds or metric spaces, and groups, for example symmetry groups, which act on them, play an important role plays.

Molecular Biomechanics (MBM)

The Molecular Biomechanics research group develops simulation techniques and models of continuum mechanics and uses them to identify and specifically redesign the force-bearing structural elements in complex biological materials. The aim is to research how and why proteins react to mechanical forces.

Molecular and Cellular Modeling (MCM)

The research group Molecular and Cellular Modeling simulates the behavior of molecules using computer-aided methods and software tools. In addition, interactive, internet-based visualization tools and programs for performing complex molecular simulations are developed.

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

The Natural Language Processing research group deals with semantics and discourse pragmatics. She develops software that is supposed to facilitate the multimodal dialog between man and machine. The aim is to use the computer to understand and generate language and texts and to enable everyone to use the computer “naturally” in the long term.

Physics of Stellar Objects (PSO)

The Physics of Stellar Objects research group investigates stars in our universe. One of the main goals of the group is to model thermonuclear explosions of white dwarf stars that lead to the astronomical phenomenon of type Ia supernovae.

Scientific Databases and Visualization (SDBV)

The research group Scientific Databases and Visualization deals with scientific databases and the visualization of data. The aim is to bundle knowledge that is scattered around the world and make it more easily accessible to researchers.

Former research groups

The following groups did research at HITS:

Computational Biology (CBI)

The Computational Biology research group was set up at HITS in 2013 with the aim of deciphering the genetic codes of several flatworm species and comparing them with one another. The core projects of the group were the decoding of the genome of the flatworm Schmidtea mediterranea and the axolotl. After five years of research at HITS and successful project completion, the work for the junior group came to an end in early 2018. Group leader Siegfried Schloissnig has been researching in Vienna since 2018.

High-Energy Astrophysics and Cosmology (HAC)

The research group High-Energy Astrophysics and Cosmology was established in 2016. Group leader Christoph Pfrommer has been doing research at HITS since 2010, completed his habilitation there and received an ERC Consolidator Grant, with which he set up his own junior group at HITS. In the 2017 summer semester, Christoph Pfrommer became the new head of the department for cosmology and large-scale structures at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics and professor for astrophysics at the University of Potsdam. His group followed him to Potsdam on August 1, 2017.

Theoretical Astrophysics (TAP)

The Theoretical Astrophysics research group was established at HITS in 2010. The group leader was the astrophysicist Volker Springel . Springel has designed and carried out the largest and most comprehensive computer simulations in the universe to date: the Millennium simulation 2005, the "Illustris" simulation 2014 and the "Illustris TNG" simulation 2018. Among other things, he refined the "Arepo" he developed at HITS. Code and made it possible to simulate the various shapes and sizes of galaxies with supercomputers. To date, the code has been used or cited in more than 750 publications. In 2012 Springel received an ERC Starting Grant and since 2014 he has been one of the “Highly Cited Researchers”. In 2017 he became a member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. After more than eight years, Springel left HITS and took up his position as Director at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching on August 1, 2018 . Springel had already been appointed Max Planck Director in 2017, but continued to work at HITS and the University of Heidelberg until the end of July 2018.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: The Institute , accessed on February 27, 2019.
  2. ↑ See Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: Research at HITS , accessed on February 27, 2019.
  3. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: Astroinformatics (AIN) , accessed on February 27, 2019.
  4. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: Computational Carbon Chemistry (CCC) , accessed on April 3, 2019.
  5. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: Computational Molecular Evolution (CME) , accessed on February 27, 2019.
  6. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: Computational Statistics (CST) , accessed on February 27, 2019.
  7. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: Data Mining and Uncertainty Quantification (DMQ) , accessed on February 27, 2019.
  8. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: Groups and Geometry (GRG) , accessed on February 27, 2019.
  9. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: Molecular Biomechanics (MBM) , accessed on February 27, 2019.
  10. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: Molecular and Cellular Modeling (MCM) , accessed on February 27, 2019.
  11. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: Natural Language Processing (NLP) , accessed on February 27, 2019.
  12. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: Physics of Stellar Objects (PSO) , accessed on February 27, 2019.
  13. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: Scientific Databases and Visualization (SDBV) , accessed on February 27, 2019.
  14. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: A New Genome for Regeneration Research , January 24, 2018, accessed on February 27, 2019.
  15. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: Gigantic genome of the axolotl decoded , from January 24, 2018, accessed on February 27, 2019.
  16. ↑ Riemer, Sebastian: A normal computer would take 17 years , Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung , January 26, 2018, accessed on February 27, 2019.
  17. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: HITS researcher Christoph Pfrommer receives professorship in Potsdam , April 3, 2017, accessed on February 27, 2019.
  18. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: In "Nature": Galaxies from the mainframe , dated May 8, 2014, accessed on February 27, 2019.
  19. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: How Black Holes Shape the Cosmos , February 1, 2018, accessed on February 27, 2019.
  20. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: Mathematical Methods, Astrophysical Simulations , June 27, 2014, accessed on February 27, 2019.
  21. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: Simulated Universes , March 20, 2017, accessed on February 27, 2019.
  22. ↑ Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies: A farewell award , August 1, 2018, accessed on February 27, 2019.