Research

Interdisciplinary research on the challenges of our time in the fields of nutrition, exercise and health is the focus of the Faculty of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition and Health.

Fields of Research

Two of the greatest challenges of the 21st century are the sustainable production and distribution of high-quality, healthy food on the one hand, and the effective prevention of disease on the other. Both challenges are closely linked and can only be addressed by interdisciplinary science: Human health and well-being are largely determined by individual genetic disposition, environmental influences, social conditions, culture, and behaviour. The most important and at the same time influenceable factors are nutritional and exercise behaviour. However, our understanding of the causal relationships responsible is limited.

It is therefore evident that we still have a lot to learn about the causal relationships between nutrition, exercise, and health - and closely related to this, about food quality. This motivates the scientific focus. On the other hand, it is also evident that existing knowledge has so far had too little influence on social developments and individual behaviour.

Therefore, at the Faculty of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition and Health on the Campus Kulmbach, economic, sociological, legal, and psychological perspectives in the research fields of behavioural sciences, public health, and food quality and safety are to be bundled and dovetailed with the scientific fields of research in a holistic approach that adopts a global perspective.

The scientific focus will be on, inter alia, the following:

• Metabolomics
• Epigenomics
• Bioinformatics
• Digital Health
• New Breeding Methods
• Food Law
• Behavioural Economics
• Public Health

Appropriate research areas will be set up on the campus in Kulmbach for this purpose. Two core facilities (key labs) will be established for the scientific core areas in order to facilitate efficient cooperative research. These will involve the core facility Metabolomics/ Mass Spectrometry for the detection and quantification of small molecules in food and human samples, and the core facility Epigenetics for the analysis of DNA and chromatin changes based on modern DNA sequencing ("next generation sequencing"). A further core facility will centrally bundle server capacities at the Faculty and ensure efficient IT infrastructure.

Focus Area "Food & Health Sciences"

A few years ago, the University of Bayreuth began to bundle its existing strengths in the emerging field of food and health sciences. Representatives from the fields of biology, health economics, sports science, and food law, as well as various research institutions within and outside the University of Bayreuth, are involved in the profile field of the same name. In addition to its individual research, Faculty VII will also be involved in the cross-faculty profile field of Food and Health Sciences at the University of Bayreuth.

Research Unit of German and European Food Law

The Research Unit of German and European Food Law (FLMR) focuses on the scientific examination of food law from an intradisciplinary, interdisciplinary and international perspective. As an interface of civil law and public law, food law addresses intradisciplinary issues. The use of economics, natural sciences and humanities enables interdisciplinary research approaches. The FLMR is actively involved in the development of the profile field of "Food and Health Sciences".

Here you can find the current information brochure of the FLMR.