Inaugural Lecture Series

You are cordially invited by the joint faculties to attend our inaugural lecture series.

In these talks, newly appointed professors and researchers who recently completed Habilitation will present their research and the work of their departments. The lectures are public and will take place in the Balcony Room of Hohenheim Palace on Friday afternoons.

The semester program, including all dates, is available for download here: semester program

The upcoming lectures by members of our faculty take place on the following dates:

Friday, December 18, 2026 | ca. 3pm | Hohenheim Palace Balcony Room (Balkonsaal)

Dr. Felipe Jiménez-Aspee, Department of Food Biofunctionality

From Gut to Bloodstream: Unraveling the Digestive Fate of Iridoid Glycosides from Gaultheria Berries

Iridoid glycosides such as monotropein, abundant in Gaultheria berries, are promising bioactive compounds, yet their fate within the human body remains poorly understood. This presentation traces monotropein's digestive journey: uptake across the intestinal epithelium and transformation by gut microbiota and liver enzymes into novel catabolites, identified through advanced mass spectrometry. These findings, together with a dedicated bioanalytical method and an ongoing human bioavailability study, are building a comprehensive picture of how iridoids are absorbed, biotransformed, and may promote health.

Dr. Jiménez-Aspee completes the Habiltiation proceedings in the field of nutritional science with this inaugural lecture. Before, at 1:30 pm,  PD Dr. Pablo Arauzo Gimeno, Dept. Conversion Technologies of Biobased Resources (440f), delivers his inaugural lecture on the subject of: From Biomass Residues to Functional Carbon Materials through Thermochemical Conversion. 

Friday, January 22, 2027 | 1:30 pm | Hohenheim Palace, Balcony Room (Balkonsaal)

Prof. Dr. Sahar Salehi-Müller, Fachgebiet Engineering Biointelligenter Systeme & Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation

Engineering Living Matter: From Biofabrication to Biointelligent Systems

Living systems possess extraordinary capabilities for adaptation, regeneration, and self-organization. My research is inspired by natural human tissues, particularly their structure, function, and adaptability, and explores how these biological principles can be translated into engineering solutions through biomaterials design, biofabrication, and tissue engineering. Starting from the development of extracellular matrix-inspired materials and functional tissue models, I discuss how the field is evolving toward the engineering of biointelligent systems, where biology, advanced materials, and manufacturing technologies converge. This lecture presents a vision for creating living and adaptive systems for future healthcare applications.

With reception and drinks afterwards. 

Friday, October 30, 2026 | 1:30 pm | Hohenheim Palace, Balcony Room (Balkonsaal)

Dr. Kirsten Traynor, Landesanstalt für Bienenkunde

How to Exploit a Honey Bee: Lessons in parasitism from two remarkable mites 

Honey bees are much loved, a symbol of sweetness and light, revered for their industry and seemingly self-sacrificial behavior. They are celebrated with phrases like “busy as a bee” and have inspired generations of writers and poets. But from a parasite’s perspective, a honey bee is something quite different: a host, a food source, a nursery, and a vehicle for dispersal. Two incredibly well-adapted parasites, Varroa destructor and Tropilaelaps mercedesae, have both jumped from other honey bee species in Asia to our hard-working pollinator, spreading viruses and causing widespread colony losses. This talk will highlight recent discoveries and personal research results, exploring how these remarkable parasites have exploited evolutionarily naïve hosts and, with a little help from us, conquered the globe.

With reception and drinks afterwards.