Prof. Robert Frau has held the professorship for Public Law, in particular Energy and Environmental Law, since September. A particular focus of the lawyer's research is public natural resources law. "Public natural resource law has not existed as a field of law in this form before. It is about how the state finds a balance between the use of raw materials today and the preservation of raw materials for later generations, for example through forward-looking planning in the country, procurement from outside or even keeping open spaces for the future - or precisely how it does not do so and thus fails in a central question of the 21st century," says the newly appointed lawyer.

In his lectures, the habilitated legal scholar wants to promote an open culture of discussion. "For this, the students discuss current legal problems and deepen their understanding of legal interpretations in public law." Before taking up the professorship at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Prof. Robert Frau researched and taught at the universities in Halle-Wittenberg, Munich, Erfurt and Heidelberg, among others.

Jun. Prof. Karin Glaser has been the new junior professor for biology/ecology since 1 October. The expert for biological soil crusts - for example micro-ecosystems of algae, fungi and mosses - comes from the University of Rostock. The biologist is now investigating the role these ecosystems play in climate change and post-mining landscapes at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg. "The focus is on measuring the ecosystem performance of these micro-ecosystems: "How do they contribute to the stability of the soil? To what extent do they accumulate nutrients and thus accelerate the formation of new soil and a closed plant cover? Are potentially toxic substances also enriched? And if so, how do the organisms deal with them?" says the new appointee.

A wide range of methods will be used. In addition to morphological species identification, molecular biological methods will also be used for diversity analysis, and laboratory experiments will provide insight into the ecophysiology of selected species. Various microscopy techniques can provide a precise insight into the organisms and visualise, for example, the accumulation of metals in plant tissues. Jun.-Prof. Karin Glaser also uses chemical analysis to record the interaction between organisms and soil.

Students will be taught by Jun.-Prof. Karin Glaser about the importance of plants near the soil for biodiversity and their potential for renaturation. The teaching ranges from general basics to the specific application of previously theoretically learned methods in the field. Current research of the working group will always be incorporated into the teaching. "My focus in teaching is on linking theoretical knowledge and its implementation in practical courses and excursions. The aim is to teach students both practical techniques to enable them to start their careers quickly and all the basics to follow up their studies with a doctorate."

Before her appointment at TU Freiberg, the biologist with a doctorate was a research assistant at the Department of Applied Ecology and Phycology at the University of Rostock.

.

The junior professorship for biogenic technical materials will be filled by Jun.-Prof. Linus Stegbauer from October. The chemist, who is moving from the University of Stuttgart to the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, is working on bio-inspired materials from renewable raw materials and biomineralisation. Jun.-Prof. Linus Stegbauer is testing the novel materials at Freiberg University for applications in 3D printing or for photocatalytic hydrogen production, for example.

"In the bioeconomy of the future, new amounts of biomass will be released for further use. Using these for technical applications is a task for materials research," says Jun.-Prof. Linus Stegbauer. "After citric acid production with the black mould, for example, mycelium accumulates as a residual material that could serve as a substitute for petroleum-based plastics due to its mechanical properties when properly processed." Chitin and chitobased raw materials are another research focus of Jun.-Prof. Linus Stegbauer: "In a current research project, I am investigating chitin shells from insect farms in the Netherlands. My team and I want to know what properties and functions these materials have and how we can use or replicate them for technical purposes."

The new assistant professor's teaching focus will be on biogenic materials. "There will be a new lecture and a practical course on this, in which students of materials science and materials technology will learn the basics and how to work with these materials."