TUM School of Natural Sciences

Type	Public
Established	2021
Dean	Johannes Barth
Location	Garching , Bavaria , Germany
Affiliations	TUM
Website	na.tum.de

TheTUM School of Natural Sciences(NAT) is a school of theTechnical University of Munich,established in 2022 by the merger of various former departments. As of 2022, it is structured into the Department of Biosciences, the Department of Chemistry, and the Department of Physics. The school is located at theGarching campus.

Department of Chemistry

History

Lecture hall in the former Institute of Chemistry in 1909. An early version of theperiodic tablecan be seen on the wall.

Chairs

As of 2020, the department consists of 24 chairs and institutes:

• Analytical Chemistryand Water Chemistry
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Inorganic andOrganometallic Chemistry
• Inorganic Chemistry with Focus on New Materials
• Construction Chemistry
• Construction Chemicals
• Biochemistry
• BiomolecularNMR-Spectroscopy
• Biophysical Chemistry
• Biotechnology
• Food Chemistry
• Macromolecular Chemistry
• MedicinalandBioinorganic Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry
• Pharmaceutical Radiochemistry
• Physical Chemistry
• SiliconChemistry
• Synthetic Biotechnology
• TechnicalElectrochemistry
• Chemical Technology
• Theoretical Chemistry

Department of Physics

History

The Technical University of Munich has operated tworesearch reactorson itsGarching campus,the egg-shaped FRM I from 1957 to 2000 and theFRM II(with the curved roof) since 2004.

Physicswas one of the founding disciplines of thePolytechnische Schule Münchenin 1868, with the establishment of thePhysikalisches Cabinet,later called thePhysikalisches Institut.In 1902, theLaboratorium für Technische Physik(technical physics) was founded, spearheaded byCarl von Linde.In 1943, another institute, theInstitut für TheoretischePhysik (theoretical physics) was founded. In 1965, the three physics institutes were finally combined into the Department of Physics, as it exists today.

The TUM Department of Physics is notable for its operation ofresearch reactorson theGarching campus,theForschungsreaktor Münchenfrom 1957 to 2000 and the newerForschungsreaktor München IIsince 2004.

Research groups

As of 2020, the main research areas the TUM Department of Physics arebiophysics,nuclei,particles,astrophysics,andcondensed matter.The following research groups currently exist:

• AppliedQuantum Field Theory
• Biomedical Physics
• BiomolecularNano-Technology
• CellularBiophysics
• Chemical PhysicsBeyondEquilibrium
• CollectiveQuantum Dynamics
• Dark Matter
• Dense andStrangeHadronicMatter
• ExperimentalAstro-Particle Physics
• Experimental Physics of Functional Spin Systems
• Experimental Physics withCosmic Particles
• ExperimentalSemiconductorPhysics
• Functional Materials
• FundamentalParticle Physicsat Low Energies
• Hadronic Structure and Fundamental Symmetries
• LaserandX-RayPhysics
• Many ParticlePhenomena
• Molecular Biophysics
• Molecular Dynamics
• Molecular Engineeringat Functional Interfaces
• NanotechnologyandNanomaterials
• Neutron Scattering
• Nuclear Astrophysics
• Observational Cosmology
• Physics ofBiomedical Imaging
• Physics ofEnergy ConversionandStorage
• Physics of Surfaces and Interfaces
• Physics of Synthetic Biological Systems
• Plasma Surface andDivertorPhysics
• Precision Measurements at Extreme Conditions
• Quantum Matter
• Quantum Technologies
• Semiconductor Nanostructuresand Quantum Systems
• Soft Matter Physics
• Structure and Dynamics ofMolecular Machines
• Technical Physics
• TheoreticalBiophysicsof Neuronal Information Processing
• Theoretical ElementaryParticle Physics
• Theoretical Particle Physics atColliders
• Theoretical Particle andNuclear Physics
• Theoretical Physics of theEarly Universe
• TheoreticalSolid-State Physics
• Theory ofBiological Networks
• Theory of Complex Bio-Systems
• Theory of Functional Energy Materials
• Theory ofQuantum MatterandNanophysics
• Topology of Correlated Systems

Rankings

University rankings
By subject – Global & National
QSChemistry2023 22 1 THEPhysical Sciences2023 23 1 ARWUChemistry2022 51-75 1 QSChemical Engineering2023 =51 4 THE ARWUChemical Engineering2022 201-300 4-5 QSPhysics & Astronomy2023 =15 1 THE ARWUPhysics2022 76-100 6-7 QSMaterials Science2023 31 4 THE ARWU
CHE Ranking2020 – National
Chemistry Overall study situation ●2.2 – Research orientation – – Study organisation – – Support in studies – – Support in the study entry phase – Coursed offered – – Teacher support – – Exam preparation – – Laboratory internships – – Teaching of scientific competence ●10/10 pts. – Scientific-artistical orientation – – Graduations in appropriate time ●Median 6.0 – International orientation – – Contact with work environment – – Job market preparation – – Citations per publication – Doctorates per professor – Publications per professor – Research reputation – Third party funds per professor – Third party funds per academic –
Physics (undergraduate) Overall study situation – – Research orientation – – Study organisation – – Support in studies ●2.2 – Support in the study entry phase – Coursed offered ●2.3 – Teacher support – – Exam preparation – – Laboratory internships – – Teaching of scientific competence – – Scientific-artistical orientation – – Graduations in appropriate time ●90.2% – International orientation – – Contact with work environment – – Job market preparation – – Citations per publication – Doctorates per professor – Publications per professor – Research reputation – Third party funds per professor – Third party funds per academic –

The Department of Chemistry is regarded as one of the bestchemistrydepartments in Germany. According to theQS rankings,it is ranked No. 22 in the world and No. 1 in Germany,and in theARWU rankings,it is ranked within No. 51–75 in the world and No. 1 in Germany.In the national 2020CHE University Ranking,the department is rated in the top group for the majority of criteria, including teaching, study organization, and overall study situation.

The Department of Physics is ranked 1st in Germany and 15th in the world in the QS World University Rankings.According to ARWU, the department is ranked within No. 6–7 in Germany and No. 76–100 in the world.

TheTimes Higher Education World University Rankingsdoes not provide individual subject rankings, but TUM generally ranks 23rd globally and 1st nationally in the physical sciences.

Notable people

7 laureates of theNobel Prize in Chemistryhave studied, taught or researched at TUM:

• 1927 –Heinrich Otto Wieland(bile acids)
• 1930 –Hans Fischer(constitution and synthesis ofhaeminandchlorophyll)
• 1973 –Ernst Otto Fischer(sandwich complexes)
• 1988 –Johann DeisenhoferandRobert Huber(crystal structure of anintegral membrane protein)
• 2007 –Gerhard Ertl(chemical processes on solidsurfaces)
• 2017 –Joachim Frank(cryo-electron microscopy)

6 laureates of theNobel Prize in Physicshave studied, taught or researched at TUM:

• 1961 –Rudolf L. Mößbauer(Mößbauer effect)
• 1985 –Klaus von Klitzing(quantum Hall effect)
• 1986 –Ernst Ruska(electron microscope)
• 1989 –Wolfgang Paul(ion trap)
• 2001 –Wolfgang Ketterle(Bose-Einstein condensationin dilute gases ofalkaliatoms)
• 2022 –Anton Zeilinger(quantum information science)

Laureates of theGottfried Wilhelm Leibniz PrizeincludeGerhard Abstreiter,Martin Beneke,Franz PfeifferandHendrik Dietz.