Out of the box

is not only the title of the current exhibition, but can also be considered a fundamental motto of CAS. Freeing thought from conventional confines has always been a core objective and mission of CAS. In eight current interdisciplinary CAS Research Focuses, nearly 100 LMU scholars have come together to work with international fellows on a variety of topics ranging from the future of bureaucracy and the narratology of medicine to applied probability theory and cellular stress. The success of these groups stems from a willingness to set aside disciplinary conventions, thereby gaining new perspectives on a given subject.

Mission Space

is the subject of the lecture series in this semester arising from the CAS Research Focus of the same name (spokespersons: Alexander Choukér, LMU Hospital, Heiner Igel, Geophysics LMU).

Matthew West (CAS Fellow/ESA), Kristina Beblo-Vranesevic (DLR), Matthew Gilliham (CAS Fellow/Adelaide), William Martin (Düsseldorf), Cyprien Verseux (Bremen), Masaaki Murakami (Hokkaido), Jessie Christiansen (Caltech), Jean Michel Désert (AIP), Don Pollaco (Warwick) and Giovanna Tinetti (King’s College) will discuss the scope and significance of space missions for the technological and scientific development on Earth with LMU scholars.

21 October 2026, 7 p.m.
Matthew West, Ph.D.: Space Weather – Threats to Our Communication World

Centered Science

This format enables LMU researchers to focus entirely on a specific research topic for a period of one year, working alongside international colleagues. Geoscientist Yan Lavallée aims to establish the first international magma observatory—known as the Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT). To this end, leading international scientists are joining the CAS as fellows to collaboratively lay the groundwork for this globally unique large-scale research project.

23 to 26 November 2026
Kick-Off Workshop of the CAS Research Group “Enabling Deep Earth Access”

The CAS Research Group led by historian Julia Burkhardt will present the impressive results of its research year at CAS: the reader Femicide in the Global Premodern showcases a corpus of sources that illustrates the significance of the topic while making the material accessible for both research and teaching.

25 November 2026, 7 p.m.
Podium und Book-Launch: Femicide in the Global Premodern: A Source Reader

Making Sense

The CAS Research Focus Narrations of Medicine (spokespersons: Martin Fischer, LMU Clinic; Mike Rüb, Charité/LMU; Berenika Szymanski-Düll, Theater Studies LMU) will hold two major conferences that explore the subject in both theory and practice. Particular highlights include a panel discussion with Oscar-winning filmmaker Caroline Link and a reading by the author Daniela Dröscher, whose novel "Lügen über meine Mutter" ("Lies About My Mother") has recently been adapted for the screen and is currently showing in cinemas.

12 November 2026, 6.15 p.m.
Panel Cinemeducation – Medicine Through Film and Narrative
with Caroline Link, Prof. Megan Milota, Ph.D., Julia Weigl, and Dr. Götz Fabry

20 November 2026, 4 p.m.
Grammatik der Scham – Lesung und Publikumsgespräch mit Daniela Dröscher

The Research Focus Meaning of Life (spokespersons: Claudia Bausewein, LMU Clinic; Nikolaos Koutsouleris, Psychiatry LMU; Christof Rapp, Philosophy LMU) addresses the question of how meaning is generated. How do the various sciences conceptualize the experience of meaning? What can the various academic disciplines learn from each another in this regard? Representatives from philosophy, psychology, theology, literary studies and the neurosciences will meet at CAS to discuss these questions.

28 and 29 January 2027
Interdisciplinary Conference How Do Human Beings Experience Meaning in Life? Concepts from Various Disciplines

Research Colloqium

Nietzsche specialist Babette Babich (Fordham) will present her latest research with an introduction by Andreas Urs Sommer (Carl Friedrich von Siemens Foundation). The economist Marcus Pivato (Paris) will engage in an exchange with his host from the field of philosophy, Christian List (LMU). Bruce McCandliss (Stanford) will discuss his neuroscience studies on the link between education and brain development with his LMU counterpart, Christine Falter-Wagner (CAS Young Center/LMU). The physicist Norman Yao (Harvard) will speak on questions of quantum physics with an introduction by Monika Aidelsburger (Physics, LMU).

9 November 2026, 12.30 p.m.
Prof. Bruce McCandliss: Connecting Brain Development and Education

17 November 2026, 12.15 p.m.
Prof. Babette Babich, Ph.D.: “Die Hadesfahrt”. Nietzsche and the Dionysiac-Orphic Mysteries

1 December 2026, 12.15 p.m.
Prof. Marcus Pivato, Ph.D.: Probabilistic Belief Aggregation

25 January 2027, 12.15 p.m.
Prof. Norman Yao, Ph.D.: Squeezing Spins for Quantum-Enhanced Measurements

Weathering Crises

How can data, models and AI help us to better understand complex dynamics and uncertainties? This question is the focus of several initiatives from the CAS Young Center. The workshop “AI for Climate Resilience,” led by Young Center member Liang Emlyn Yang, explores how AI can be used to develop and test climate protection measures. CAS Fellow Xinyue Ye (Alabama) will also speak on this subject. The Research Focus Bayesian Reasoning (spokespersons: Andreas Döpp, Physics, LMU, Tom Sterkenburg, Philosophy, LMU) is entering its final semester with two workshops: “Bayesian Actors: From Experimental Design to Optimization” and a conference organized by Sabine Hoffmann on the communication of scientific uncertainty.

Body and Time

The Director of the Textile and Industry Museum in Augsburg (tim), Karl Borromäus Murr, introduces the work of artist Manfred Mayerle. In doing so, he allows the viewer to share in the creative process behind the images, thereby enabling an understanding of how the artist approaches his themes of "body and time."

Blog Article: Karl Borromäus Murr, Out of the Box – Ästhetische Strategien der Dekonstruktion von Manfred Mayerle, CAS LMU Blog, https://doi.org/10.5282/cas-blog/65

Manfred Mayerle – Out of the Box

The renowned Munich artist Manfred Mayerle, whose work is present at LMU in his design of the large cafeteria, is exhibiting various series of works at CAS. These range from his large-scale monochrome oil paintings to the small-format drawings and sketches. An introduction will be provided by the ethnologist Philipp Schorch (LMU).

22 October 2026, 7 p.m.
Vernissage

Petra Amerell – Paintings and Paper Works

Petra Amerell is presenting some of her more recent works in the Friedrichstraße building. Her non-representational painting focuses on the theme of color and its effect within the image, as well as the development of a subjective and free formal language. The introduction will be provided by Islamic studies scholar Teresa Bernheimer (LMU).

3 December 2026, 7 p.m.
Art at CAS at Friedrichstraße, Vernissage