The Dynamics of the Universe is a Key Profile Area (KPA) of the University of Cologne since 2025. KPAs are thematically defined research areas of high scientific and/or societal relevance.

The KPA Dynamics of the Universe follows a holistic research approach, which combines astronomical observations, instrument development and related theory & simulations with laboratory astrophysics and astroinformatics. This exceptional convergence of expertise, distinctively found in the Cologne-Bonn region, is vital for advancing astronomical research at the forefront of the new era of Big Data Astrophysics. You can find out more here.

The KPA coordinates research between different disciplines of astrophysics (observations, theoretical, and laboratory astrophysics as well as detector and instrumentation development), geophysics, applied mathematics, computer science and digital humanities. We explore the Universe using a wide range of data --- from observations, simulations, and laboratory experiments to theoretical models, as well as text, language and images from open-access publications. Up to now, typically, only a subset of these different data is used for analysis and discovery. In the KPA, we aim to combine all these heterogeneous data to reveal both the known unknowns and unexpected discoveries.

In particular, we aim to establish a new pillar of  ‘Astroinformatics’ in Cologne, that you can read about here.