The focus is on public health: Prof. Dr. Philippe van Baßhuysen is researching how healthcare systems should be designed in the future, when restrictions on fundamental freedoms can be justified in the name of public health and how it is possible to distribute healthcare goods and services as fairly as possible. The scientist from Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) has now received funding of 1.2 million euros for his research as part of a Niedersachsen-Impuls-Professorship. With this funding line from zukunft.niedersachsen, the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture and the Volkswagen Foundation support universities in Lower Saxony for five years at a time in attracting promising academic talent in the early stages of their careers to Lower Saxony as a science location and strengthening their professorships.

“As the state of Lower Saxony, we want to attract young top talent who still have a long perspective in science to our universities. With the 'Niedersachsen-Impuls-Professuren', we have a tailor-made funding format to help attract and retain young talent. In this way, we are strengthening Lower Saxony as a science location in the competition for excellent young scientists,” says Lower Saxony's Science Minister Falko Mohrs and emphasizes: ”I am convinced that with Prof. Dr. Philippe van Baßhuysen, we have gained a particularly qualified young scientist whose outstanding potential will continue to develop at LUH. His work and expertise will contribute to making Hannover internationally visible in research and teaching in the field of public health ethics.”

Philippe van Baßhuysen is a professor specializing in public health ethics at the Centre for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences (CELLS) at LUH. One of his research focuses is on integrating the perspectives of philosophy, politics and economics into health ethics considerations in order to provide concrete guidelines for health policy makers and private actors. 

In addition, the scientist will focus on the opportunities and risks of digitalization for public health. As one of the first professorships for public health ethics in Germany, the impulse professorship is intended to help position LUH as an international beacon in this field.

Philippe van Basshuysen received his doctorate from the London School of Economics in 2019. Prior to that, he studied philosophy, mathematics and social sciences at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the London School of Economics. From 2019 to 2024, van Basshuysen was a postdoctoral researcher at Leibniz Universität Hannover and an assistant professor at Wageningen University (Netherlands). 

In February 2024, a new ERC Starting Grant was launched at LUH under his leadership. With the Starting Grants, the European Science Council funds excellent and visionary research by outstanding young scientists with up to 1.5 million euros each. The project at CELLS strengthens the research focus on scientific reflection at LUH. 

Research focus at the LUH

Six focus areas combine outstanding achievements across disciplines at LUH and contribute to making excellent research visible internationally: Biomedical Research and Technology, Energy Research, Optical Technologies, Production Engineering, Quantum Optics and Gravitational Physics and Science Reflection are characterized by excellent internationally recognized research achievements, strong support for young researchers and the successful acquisition of coordinated joint projects with high scientific and social relevance. 

The focus is on public health: Prof. Dr. Philippe van Baßhuysen is researching how healthcare systems should be designed in the future, when restrictions on fundamental freedoms can be justified in the name of public health and how it is possible to distribute healthcare goods and services as fairly as possible. The scientist from Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) has now received funding of 1.2 million euros for his research as part of a Niedersachsen-Impuls-Professorship. With this funding line from zukunft.niedersachsen, the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture and the Volkswagen Foundation support universities in Lower Saxony for five years at a time in attracting promising academic talent in the early stages of their careers to Lower Saxony as a science location and strengthening their professorships.

“As the state of Lower Saxony, we want to attract young top talent who still have a long perspective in science to our universities. With the 'Niedersachsen-Impuls-Professuren', we have a tailor-made funding format to help attract and retain young talent. In this way, we are strengthening Lower Saxony as a science location in the competition for excellent young scientists,” says Lower Saxony's Science Minister Falko Mohrs and emphasizes: ”I am convinced that with Prof. Dr. Philippe van Baßhuysen, we have gained a particularly qualified young scientist whose outstanding potential will continue to develop at LUH. His work and expertise will contribute to making Hannover internationally visible in research and teaching in the field of public health ethics.”

Philippe van Baßhuysen is a professor specializing in public health ethics at the Centre for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences (CELLS) at LUH. One of his research focuses is on integrating the perspectives of philosophy, politics and economics into health ethics considerations in order to provide concrete guidelines for health policy makers and private actors. 

In addition, the scientist will focus on the opportunities and risks of digitalization for public health. As one of the first professorships for public health ethics in Germany, the impulse professorship is intended to help position LUH as an international beacon in this field.

Philippe van Basshuysen received his doctorate from the London School of Economics in 2019. Prior to that, he studied philosophy, mathematics and social sciences at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the London School of Economics. From 2019 to 2024, van Basshuysen was a postdoctoral researcher at Leibniz Universität Hannover and an assistant professor at Wageningen University (Netherlands). 

In February 2024, a new ERC Starting Grant was launched at LUH under his leadership. With the Starting Grants, the European Science Council funds excellent and visionary research by outstanding young scientists with up to 1.5 million euros each. The project at CELLS strengthens the research focus on scientific reflection at LUH. 

Research focus at the LUH

Six focus areas combine outstanding achievements across disciplines at LUH and contribute to making excellent research visible internationally: Biomedical Research and Technology, Energy Research, Optical Technologies, Production Engineering, Quantum Optics and Gravitational Physics and Science Reflection are characterized by excellent internationally recognized research achievements, strong support for young researchers and the successful acquisition of coordinated joint projects with high scientific and social relevance.