Friedrich–Alexander University Erlangen–Nürnberg (FAU) is a public research university with campuses in the German cities of Erlangen and Nuremberg in Bavaria. Founded in 1742, FAU is the second largest public university in Bavaria and one of the largest higher education institutions in Germany. Today, the university brings together almost 40,000 students across 5 schools and 24 departments. The university employs close to 15,000 people and has almost 4,000 members of research staff.