TUM Magazine Issue 03/26

March 2026

Welcome to the online edition of TUM Magazine! Join three of our researchers as they develop sustainable space technologies, and gain insights into the order of the quantum world. Learn more about our renewed success in the Excellence Strategy competition run by the German federal and state governments.

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View of the Earth from the International Space Station (ISS)

Cover story

Resource efficiency in space

From lower-emission propulsion systems and servicing robots to photobioreactors for autonomous life support, researchers at TUM are developing technologies to make spaceflight more sustainable. They aim to balance growth with responsibility and ensure the long-term use of the orbit.

Frank Pollmann is Professor of Theoretical Solid State Physics at the TUM School of Natural Sciences.

Leibniz prize winner Frank Pollmann

The order of the quantum world

In this interview, physicist Prof. Frank Pollmann explains, why matter sometimes follows its own laws, what that means for quantum computers, and how quantum research is perceived by the public.

Prof. Xiaoxiang Zhu uses satellite data to analyze developments on Earth

Sustainable urban development

The built world as a 3D model

A team led by Xiaoxiang Zhu has released a 3D map containing nearly all the world’s buildings. The database, which covers 2.75 billion structures, can help cities become more inclusive and resilient.

Jugendliche lösen ein Rätsel im Escape Room "Escape from Carbonia" von TUM und e-conversion im Science Communication Lab des Deutschen Museums.

Public engagement

Bringing the university into the city

Theater and dance, puzzles and hands-on activities: With new formats, researchers at our university are bringing science to life beyond the lecture hall and the lab.

In focus

Layer by layer

The wall paintings in the Magdalene Chapel of St. Emmeram in Regensburg were created in four phases spanning from the 12^th to the 17^th century. Due to an unfinished conservation and restoration project, sections of every layer are visible today. Researchers at TUM seized this unique opportunity: Using conservation and restoration findings and scientific methods, they were able to characterize the materials used and assign them to the respective painting phases—on site, without damaging the artwork.

This was made possible by the insiTUMlab, a research infrastructure funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The non-destructive methods applied here and the available mobile analysis devices are used to facilitate research and preservation of cultural assets.

Alumna Amelie Schoenenwald

Dreams within reach

Amelie Schoenenwald is a reserve astronaut of the European Space Agency (ESA) and is therefore currently among the candidates who could fly to the Moon as part of the Artemis program.

Founding team BugSense Diagnostics

Resistant bacteria at a glance

Fusix Biotech, a spin-off from our university, is developing virus-based cancer therapies that mobilize the body's own immune defence in the fight against the disease.

Student club iGEM Munich

A tattoo as a biosensor

At the iGEM competition, students impressed in 2025 with the concept for a tattoo that monitors health-related parameters. And in 2026, a team from Munich is taking part again.

Start-up Hula Earth

The sound of biodiversity

The startup Hula Earth is developing sensors that automatically record birdsong in the surrounding area. Combined with satellite data, this information provides insights into the status of ecosystems.

NewIn: Sabina Leonelli

“Every researcher is faced with philosophical questions”

In the interview, our new professor Sabina Leonelli talks about research in collaboration with society and the philosophical roots of scientific decisions.

The skyline of downtown Munich at sunset. In focus is the Thiersch Tower, a bell tower and the landmark of the TUM.

Excellence competition

Funding for seven clusters of excellence

For the fourth time, TUM has prevailed in the competition for the title of University of Excellence—under the motto “Excellence and Responsibility for Humanity.” In its new TUM Agenda 2030+, the university places its responsibility as an engine of innovation for the well-being of humanity at the center of its strategy.

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