idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
The German Research Foundation (DFG) has accepted Privatdozent Wanja Wiese from the University of Bonn to its Heisenberg Programme. This provides five years’ worth of funding that enables researchers to complete high-quality projects and thus further enhance their academic and scientific reputation. A philosopher and mathematician, Wiese studies the possibility of consciousness in artificial systems and now stands to receive funding of up to €570,000.
Are artificial systems capable of developing consciousness? This is the question being explored by Privatdozent Wanja Wiese at the Institute for Science and Ethics (Institut für Wissenschaft und Ethik, IWE) with the help of his Heisenberg Grant. “There is no universally accepted definition of when a system is conscious,” he says. “So I’m investigating how to find criteria that can be used to rule out the possibility that certain artificial systems possess consciousness.”
One of the areas he is focusing on is artificial intelligence (AI). “Although the latest AI systems would seem to have remarkable cognitive abilities, we can’t say for certain whether their hardware exhibits the characteristics they’d need to be deemed conscious.” He is also considering neural organoids, three-dimensional cell cultures that are grown from stem cells and simulate certain aspects of brain development. Researchers use them for basic and drug research in biomedicine and for modeling diseases. The ever-increasing sophistication of these organoids has raised the question of whether they can develop consciousness.
The Heisenberg Grant will allow Wiese to devote himself fully to his research interests—and to do so in a place that offers him the best possible home for his project: For one thing, he says, the University of Bonn is a major center for organoid research. As well as two Argelander Professorships, it also hosts the Bonn Organoid Club, where researchers from various fields discuss hot topics and the latest developments. “I was won over by the specific approaches that the IWE takes to its research,” Wiese explains. “I think that my project will complement the research already being done there nicely and that it will pave the way for some fruitful collaboration.”
Wiese will be receiving up to €570,000 over the next few years as part of the DFG’s Heisenberg Programme. The initial three-year funding term can be extended by a further two following a positive interim evaluation. Heisenberg Grants are designed to enable highly skilled researchers to increase their chances of securing a professorship.
About Wanja Wiese
Wanja Wiese studied philosophy and mathematics in Mainz, staying on to complete a doctorate in philosophy. He worked at the University of Mainz and Witten/Herdecke University as well as at Ruhr-University Bochum, where he obtained his Habilitation in philosophy in 2024. He joined the IWE at the University of Bonn in August 2026.
PD Dr. Wanja Wiese
Institute of Science and Ethics
University of Bonn
Phone: +49 228 73-8109
Email: wanja.wiese@uni-bonn.de
The philosopher and mathematician Privatdozent Dr. Wanja Wiese will use his Heisenberg Grant at the ...
Quelle: Markus Franke
Copyright: Markus Franke/IWE
Merkmale dieser Pressemitteilung:
Journalisten
Gesellschaft
überregional
Wettbewerbe / Auszeichnungen
Englisch
The philosopher and mathematician Privatdozent Dr. Wanja Wiese will use his Heisenberg Grant at the ...
Quelle: Markus Franke
Copyright: Markus Franke/IWE
Sie können Suchbegriffe mit und, oder und / oder nicht verknüpfen, z. B. Philo nicht logie.
Verknüpfungen können Sie mit Klammern voneinander trennen, z. B. (Philo nicht logie) oder (Psycho und logie).
Zusammenhängende Worte werden als Wortgruppe gesucht, wenn Sie sie in Anführungsstriche setzen, z. B. „Bundesrepublik Deutschland“.
Die Erweiterte Suche können Sie auch nutzen, ohne Suchbegriffe einzugeben. Sie orientiert sich dann an den Kriterien, die Sie ausgewählt haben (z. B. nach dem Land oder dem Sachgebiet).
Haben Sie in einer Kategorie kein Kriterium ausgewählt, wird die gesamte Kategorie durchsucht (z.B. alle Sachgebiete oder alle Länder).
