The Department of Computer and Cognitive Sciences, located at the Campus Duisburg, is part of the Faculty of Engineering. Paluno (The Ruhr Institute for Software Technology) is part of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.The University Duisburg-Essen, one of the 10 largest German universities (approx. 30,000 students and 3,400 staff members), is situated in the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Computer science comprises 29 professors and about 200 researchers, and has an impressive track record of successfully conducted research projects in the area of software engineering, security, ubiquitous computing, mobile computing, and human-computer interaction. Projects include publicly funded basic research in national and international projects as well as many industry collaborations.

Research and networking expertise

Paluno (The Ruhr Institute for Software Technology) is composed of five founding professors, each of them has brought a very profound software engineering research expertise, a wide research network and also research projects in the centre. Therefore for example, Paluno is coordinating S-Cube, the European Network of Excellence in Software Services and Systems. The aim of the NoE is to establish an integrated, multidisciplinary, vibrant research community in the domain of Software Services and Systems. Moreover the centre represents the University of Duisburg-Essen in the Networked European Software and Services Initiative (ETP NESSI) and represents, together with INRIA, the academic partner in the NESSI executive board. NESSI is the European Technology Platform dedicated to Software and Services. The vision of NESSI is to transform the EU economy through service oriented business models - and linking this to developments in security is essential. The centre is also joining the integrated FP7 Project NEXOF (Reference Architecture for Service-based Systems). The Department of Computer and Cognitive Sciences combines computer science and psychology. There are 12 professors for computer science and 3 professors for applied cognitive science. The department is strong in the areas of computer science in engineering and in media engineering.

Key scientific staff

Maritta Heisel

Stefan Eicker

Klaus Pohl