St Andrews and Bonn Universities Solidify Partnership with Key Appointments

A joint appointment scheme between the “sister” universities of St Andrews and Bonn has welcomed the addition of four distinguished researchers.

Launched in 2022, the Bonn-St Andrews joint appointment scheme builds upon the long-standing and dynamic strategic partnership between the University of Bonn and the University of St Andrews. The two institutions signed a strategic partnership in 2018 and have been linked as “Sister Universities” since 1911.

By appointing joint professors across a diverse range of academic disciplines, the scheme aims to benefit academic communities at both universities by enhancing existing research and teaching collaborations and fostering new exchanges of ideas and expertise.

Over three years, the joint appointment scheme will support colleagues from both institutions by devoting 20% of their working time to research and teaching at the other university.

The new joint professors appointed in this second round are:

• Professor Alison Beach, School of History (University of St Andrews)
• Professor Silvia Paracchini, School of Medicine (University of St Andrews)
• Professor Cornelia Richter, Dept. of Systematic Theology (University of Bonn)
• Professor Ulrich Schlie, Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (University of Bonn)

These four researchers now join the founding cohort of joint appointments announced in 2023.

Professor Ineke De Moortel, Master of the United College at St Andrews, a role which oversees the strategic planning of Schools, said: “The joint appointments with Bonn continue to be a key driver of our strategic partnership as we expand and deepen our collaborations across research and teaching. We are actively exploring further opportunities and models of joint appointments to make sure all staff at both institutions can benefit from our partnership.”

Professor Birgit Ulrike Münch, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at the University of Bonn, added: “The Joint Professorships give us scope to work really closely together to develop joint formats for teaching and research and thus place our internationalisation efforts on a more sustainable footing. This structured program is the only one of its kind in Germany and wouldn’t have been possible without the incredibly close-knit working relationship we enjoy with St Andrews, our strategic partner in our Global Network.”

Reflections from the newly appointed researchers:

“I am so pleased to have been selected for a Joint Research Professorship at the University of Bonn. I look forward to deepening my existing connections to Gisela Muschiol, Lehrstuhl für Kirchengeschichte (Chair of Medieval and Modern Church History in the Faculty of Catholic Theology) and beginning a new collaboration with Alice Toso in the Institut für Archäologie und Kulturanthropologie (Department of Archaeology and Cultural Anthropology). It is especially rewarding to have this collaboration among female scholars supported in this second round of joint appointments.”

Alison Beach, Professor of Medieval History

“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to further develop my existing research collaborations with Professors Nöthen and Forstner in the field of psychiatric genomics as well as to actively foster new connections across our medical faculties. I am particularly enthusiastic about strengthening our partnership in the field of health data science which is a key strategic area for both institutions. The launch of the Bonn / St Andrews partnership has already enhanced my research programme and through this appointment as Joint Research Professor, I am keen to make a positive contribution.”

Silvia Paracchini, Professor of Neurogenetics and Genomics

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to take up a joint professorship with the University of St Andrews’ School of Divinity.

“Together with Judith Wolfe and William Tooman, we’ll be working on an understanding of interdisciplinary hermeneutics that stretches beyond the boundaries of theology and philosophy and looks at the hermeneutics of law and economics, politics and various fields of medicine and the life sciences.

The exchange is designed to help build a research and teaching partnership over the long term and enable doctoral theses to be supervised jointly as part of the Cotutelle program.”

Cornelia Richter, Professor of Systematic Theology and Hermeneutics

“I would like to use the joint research professorship to establish a close cooperation between the Bonn Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS) and the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews.

“In particular, this partnership aims to benefit the cooperation in the context of the Strategy and International Security Master’s degree programme.”

Ulrich Schlie, Director of the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS) and Henry Kissinger Chair for Security and Strategic Studies