Prof. Lars Koch is Chair of Media Studies and Modern German Literature. In 2014, he was the first Open Topic Tenure Track Professor to be appointed at TU Dresden. TU Dresden developed the Open Topic Tenure Track Professorships (OTTP) as part of the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments to attract the world's best minds in research and teaching, an appointment concept that is unique in Germany. TU has been recruiting candidates regardless of their disciplinary affiliation and fixed denominations. Professional excellence and the innovative strength of the individuals were the only deciding factors. Following the call for applications in April 2013, more than 1,300 applications were received from all over the world, including over 500 from abroad. In a multi-stage selection process, a selection committee consisting of twelve top-class individuals from outside TU Dresden made its recommendations.

Lars Koch was able to convince the committee with his research, which transcends traditional subject boundaries – perfectly fitting for the freely advertised professorships at TU Dresden. He investigates cultural theory and media theory of disruption, literature, media and theater cultures of destructive affects (fear, hate, contempt) as well as popular media of societal self-description, such as films or TV series. Lars Koch crosses disciplinary boundaries to analyze how analog and digital media address and shape technical innovations, perceptions of risk, and societal conflicts. He is conducting his research alongside experts in literature, media and cultural studies, as well as colleagues working in sociology and history – and also with researchers from completely different disciplines, such as engineers, who are very well represented in Dresden.

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One example of interdisciplinary collaboration is the project Disruption and Societal Change (TUDiSC), of which Lars Koch is one of the initiators. TUDiSC is part of the TUD Excellence Program and explores societal disruption processes. At present, eight projects addressing disruption as a fundamental characteristic of societal reality and change are being funded. These projects are jointly led by researchers in the humanities and social sciences as well as researchers from other fields, such as the School of Science or the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Four questions for Prof. Lars Koch

What do you research?

I enjoy thinking between subjects and am fascinated by the conflictuality of society, that is, how conflicts, claims to power, and hegemonies of interpretation are culturally negotiated. I access these issues through mass media, popular culture, and social media.

What does excellence mean to you?

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From my perspective, excellence means freedom for long and sometimes wild thinking, for interaction with many great academics, as well as the possibility to involve students in specific cases, but above all to be able to work on particular issues in a team over a longer period of time - and to do so detached from the normal day-to-day business.

What makes TU Dresden stand out?

TU Dresden is a very well-known and great hub, especially for sciences, life sciences and technology, but now increasingly also for the humanities and social sciences. In the last few years, an incredible dynamic has spread here. With the topic of disruption – the major challenges of the 21^st century and how these are negotiated in society – we have found a theme that many can connect to. I am confident that this will also hold true in the next round of the Excellence competition.

Why is the city of Dresden in particular interesting for your research?

For me as a media scientist who is interested in social conflict situations and their negotiation, Dresden, with its long history of protest in both the positive and the negative sense, is almost something like a laboratory for today's perception of crisis. On the one hand, I'm interested in the digital world, but on the other hand, I'm also interested in the material world, such as the negotiation of conflicts in public space.