Founded in 1955, the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences comprises six departments and, with around 200 professorships and approximately 10,000 students, is one of the largest in the country.

The range of courses on offer is aligned with the diverse and high-level research activities. The above-average research strength is reflected in a large number of publications, third-party funding and participation in high-level national and international research collaborations. Close contacts with the Faculty of Medicine, the surrounding Max Planck Institutes, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and the Jülich Research Centre strengthen the research structures and enrich the range of courses on offer in the long term, not least through jointly appointed professors.

While outstanding research activities can be found in all areas, the faculty's profile-building areas of excellence lie in particular in the life sciences, physics and materials research, and in the field of humans and the environment. In 2025, its leading position was once again confirmed by the funding of several projects as part of the Excellence Initiative of the German Federal Government and the Länder: the clusters of excellence CEPLAS (Plant Sciences), CECAD (aging research), DYNAVERSE (Astrophysics) and ML4Q (Quantum Research). The awarding of high-ranking research prizes to scientists also recognises the outstanding research.