Mathematics

Mathematics is advancing at an extremely rapid pace. It plays an important role in many aspects of technological progress in our society and in numerous sciences. Research at the Faculty of Mathematics accordingly takes place on a broad scale, from fundamental research exploring and providing an increasingly better understanding of old and new mathematical structures – for example within the framework of Transregio Collaborative Research Centre 45 “Periods, moduli spaces and arithmetic of algebraic varieties” (Bonn/Mainz/Essen) – to the realization of specific applications such as optimizing gas transmission in pipeline systems (research group of Professor Rüdiger Schultz in cooperation with the gas transmission company Open Grid Europe of Essen). With a good 25 research groups, the faculty is one of the largest mathematics faculties in Germany.
In addition to the aforementioned SFB/TR 45, individual research groups are participating in DFG-funded Priority Programmes 1253 “Optimization with Partial Differential Equations”, 1489 “Algorithmic and Experimental Methods in Algebra, Geometry and Number Theory” and 1590 “Probabilistic Structures and Evolution”, as well as in individual projects within SFB 832 and SFB/TR 12 and Research Training Group 1855/1 of the DFG; they are and have been funded by the BMWi and BMBF, the EU, the Humboldt Foundation and the Deutsche Telekom Stiftung, to name a few.
The lecturers of the faculty share their fascination with mathematics with students on degree programmes in mathematics, technical and economic mathematics (Bachelor/Master degrees), teaching for all school types and levels, and various courses offered to other faculties. Postgraduate training for a large group of Ph.D. candidates coming to the University of Duisburg-Essen from throughout Germany and abroad is organized by the International Graduate School of Mathematics. Under the ­direction of Professor Patrizio Neff, the introductory phase of all MINT (mathematics, informatics, natural sciences, technology) degree programmes has been restructured within the framework of Germany’s “Bund-Länder-Programm”.
October 2012 marked the start of the relocation and merger of the Duisburg and Essen ­sections of the faculty into the new “Mathematik-Carrée” in Weststadt Essen. The move is to be completed gradually over the course of the coming years in order to enable the students currently enrolled in Duisburg to finish their studies there. It is especially valuable in the area of analysis, numerics and stochastics in helping to build ­existing cooperation and equipping the faculty for the future.
The faculty has close connections with the Institute of Experimental Mathematics, whose theoretical, algorithmic and application-oriented branches of research in algebra, number theory and discrete mathematics complement the respective areas in the faculty. The mathematicians working at the Institute of Experimental Mathematics are members of the faculty.
This report is structured in line with the faculty’s four core research areas.