2026

This year, the exhibition ship MS Wissenschaft is dedicated to the theme of the medicine of the future. At the "Zukunftsmarkt" on 4 July 2026, researchers from the Mathematics Münster Cluster of Excellence demonstrated at an interactive exhibit how mathematical models help to improve the treatment of conditions such as epilepsy and psychotic disorders.

Last week, the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science held its graduation ceremony in the "Schloss". All doctoral graduates who successfully completed their doctorate in the past year were invited to attend, along with their families and friends. We congratulate all graduates, especially the 15 doctoral graduates from Mathematics Münster!

In the new podcast episode, Carlo speaks with Benjamin Brück about his journey to Münster, away from it, and ultimately back again, the stations and challenges along the way and his connection to music. In his research Benjamin is focusing on high dimensional cohomology of arithmetic groups.

The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) will begin in Philadelphia at the end of this month. Two investigators from our Cluster of Excellence Mathematics Münster have been invited to speak at the world's most prestigious mathematics congress. Prof. Dr. Ralf Schindler will present a joint lecture with Prof. Dr. David Asperó entitled "Forcing Axioms and the Continuum Problem: Hilbert's First Problem Revisited." Prof. Dr. Dr. Katrin Tent will talk on "From the Cherlin–Zilber Conjecture via Sharply 2-Transitive Groups to the Burnside Problem." Read more about their talks and, in short interviews, learn what being invited to the ICM means to them.

On 1 July 2026, the three graduates of the Young African Mathematicians (YAM) Fellowship Programme, David Jean Baptiste Bilong, Gilles Jordan Pedieu Tcheuha, and Miarisoa Elalie Rasamimanana, presented the results of their research projects.

The three YAM Fellows for 2025/2026, David Jean Baptiste Bilong, Gilles Jordan Pedieu Tcheuha, and Miarisoa Elalie Rasamimanana, will present the research they have been conducting during their year at Mathematics Münster. 

We invite everybody to the next event of our public lecture series "Brücken in der Mathematik" (Bridges in Mathematics) on 30 June 2026, 6:30 pm in lecture hall M2. Prof. Dr. Edmund Weitz will give a talk on "Können Spiele denken?" (in German).

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Jan Nienhaus will be visiting Mathematics Münster as a Young Research Fellow from mid-July until the end of September. He is a Hedrick Assistant Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research lies in the field of Riemannian geometry, with a particular focus on lower curvature bounds and their interactions with symmetry and topology. During his stay at our Cluster he will collaborate with Dennis Wulle and is also one of the organisers of the Young Geometers Meeting.

The NRW‑Topology meeting takes place biannually at different locations in North Rhine‑Westphalia. Here, recent developments in topology are presented and discussed.

Auf dem Ausstellungsschiff "MS Wissenschaft", das Anfang Juli in Münsters Hafen ankert, geht es in diesem Jahr um die Medizin der Zukunft. Am 4. Juli 2026 bekommen Sie von 13 bis 17 Uhr beim "Zukunftsmarkt" anschauliche Einblicke in aktuelle Forschung aus Münster. An der interaktiven Station vom Exzellenzcluster Mathematik Münster zeigen Forschende, wie mathematische Modelle helfen, Erkrankungen wie Epilepsie und psychotische Störungen zu behandeln. 

Listen to the new podcast episode. Nataniel Marquis works in p-adic geometry and talks with Carlo about their enthusiasm for mathematics, Batman’s influence on it, the French education system, and how dancing and music help them clear their mind. In the video, Nataniel explains how the notion of space and complex geometry can be adapted to the p-adic framework.

We are pleased to welcome Prof. Dr. Artem Chernikov as a new Münster Research Fellow to our Cluster. He holds the Michael Brin Endowed Chair in Mathematics at the University of Maryland, College Park. Chernikov is recognised as one of the leading experts in model theory, working on a broad spectrum of topics ranging from abstract model theory to groups and combinatorics. During his research stay until October 2026, he is strengthening his collaboration with Katrin Tent and the logic group. His research stay at Mathematics Münster is funded through the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

We are pleased that Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Werner is back in Münster as a Münster Research Fellow. She is Professor of Mathematics at Case Western Reserve University and a world-leading expert in convex geometry, functional analysis, and probability theory. She will stay until July 2026 and will intensify her collaborations with researchers from Mathematics Münster.

We are celebrating women in mathematics with several activities from 11-13 May 2026 in the context of "May12 initiative", the International Women in Maths Day. Check the programme and join in!

It’s the first Monday of the month again – time for a new podcast episode. This time, Elisabetta is Carlo’s guest. She is a doctoral researcher at the Institute of Mathematical Stochastics and works in the field of probability theory. In the podcast, she talks about what led her to move from Italy to Münster, and what she does to clear her head.

This event is part of a series of one-day meetings aimed at bringing together geometric group theorists, topologists, and geometers in the North Rhine–Westphalia region of Germany.

On 23 April 2026, the annual "Girls' Day", 24 school students visited us to learn more about studying and working as mathematicians. Here are some impressions of the programme, which involved many members of our Cluster of Excellence.

We will discuss the construction of Rapoport-Zink spaces, which nowadays play an outstanding role in number theory and the Langlands program, and highlight how they can be used to p-adically uniformize Shimura varieties.

Construction of the research building for the "Centre for Mathematics Münster" is moving ahead; the distinctive façade is currently being installed. Now the new research center has also taken a major organisational step: the CMM was officially founded on Wednesday, 15 April 2026.

Five new postdocs of Mathematics Münster introduced themselves at the MM Postdoc Colloquium on 16 April 2026. Catrin Mair, Stefan Schrott, Mathias Sonnleitner, Ferdinand Wagner and Alexander Van Werde gave an insight into their fields of research.

Get an insight into the research of five new postdoctoral researchers of Mathematics Münster. In short scientific presentations Catrin Mair, Stefan Schrott, Mathias Sonnleitner, Alexander Van Werde​​​​​​​ and Ferdinand Wagner will introduce their topics. The talks take place within the Colloquium Wilhelm Killing on 16 April 2026 at 2:15 pm in lecture hall M4.

We are pleased that the podcast On A Tangent is continuing. The new host, Carlo Kaul, takes over from Simone Ramello and, in his first episode, interviews postdoctoral researcher Maxime Ramzi about his journey to Münster.

We congratulate Prof. Dr. Gerd Faltings on receiving the Abel Prize 2026! His ideas and results have reshaped the field of arithmetic geometry. Faltings studied in Münster, where he completed his doctorate (1978) and his habilitation (1981). In 2012, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science. Several members of Mathematics Münster describe the impact of Faltings' work on their research and share personal memories. 

Apply now for doctoral positions at Mathematics Münster until 15 April 2026! You can also apply for an Ada Lovelace Fellowship. Join our vibrant, collaborative, and internationally connected research community in Münster and take the next step in developing your own research project.

The goal of this workshop is to bring together young European-based researchers under the broad umbrella of geometric structures. We aim to provide a place for interaction and sharing of research ideas across a range of disciplines: these include Spin geometry, special holonomy, almost Hermitian geometry, hypercomplex geometry, or Kähler and complex algebraic geometry and related topics.

We congratulate our colleague Wolfgang Meyer on his 90th birthday. As a surprise and gift, his former doctoral student Burkhard Wilking has organised a celebratory colloquium for Friday, 20 March 2026.

We congratulate Prof. Dr. Gerd Faltings on receiving the Abel Prize 2026! The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters honors him for his achievements in arithmetic geometry. His ideas and results have reshaped the field, settling major long-standing conjectures, while also establishing new frameworks that have guided decades of subsequent work. Faltings studied in Münster, where he completed his doctorate (1978) and his habilitation (1981). In 2012, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science.

Despite rain and cold, many families set out on 14 March 2026, to visit our activity stand “Mathe mittendrin!” at Stubengasse, Münster, on the International Day of Mathematics. Older children showed great perseverance as they worked on the puzzle challenges from the "Mathe-Trail Münster". Young and old guests alike had lots of fun trying out the different stations of the "Q.UNI Kinder- und Jugend-Uni", for example the "Mirror Drawer" and the tricky "Conway Cube".

With the publication "Twelve Months, Twelve People – Portraits 2025", the University of Münster presents a slightly different kind of annual review. The recently published brochure features individuals who achieved outstanding accomplishments over the past year. In May, the focus is on our "Bridging the Gaps" professor Hendrik Weber.

For the third time, Thomas Leblé (Université de Paris Cité) returns as a Münster Research Fellow to Mathematics Münster. He works in probability theory and mathematical physics. In March, he will continue his collaboration with Martin Huesmann.

The Mathematics Münster Master Day is aimed at undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing a master's degree at the University of Münster. On 22 April, we will host a live event in Münster and an online meeting for those who cannot attend in person. The online programme includes an invited lecture by a mathematician from our faculty, an information session about the master's programme and an informal gathering with members of our faculty. We look forward to meeting you.

Every year on 14 March ("Pi Day"), the International Day of Mathematics is celebrated worldwide - and we are joining in! On 14 March 2026, we will present an activity booth "Mathe mittendrin" in Münster’s city centre. The "Q.UNI Kinder- und Jugend-Uni" will offer maths games and craft activities. School students from grade 5 onwards can discover new puzzles from our "Münster Math Trail" together with family and friends. High school students can join a day of math challenges at the "Tag der Mathematik - Wettbewerb".

Our Cluster of Excellence "Mathematics Münster: Dynamics – Geometry – Structure" entered its second funding period this month. At a general assembly, the participating researchers elected the Cluster spokespersons, the executive board and further committees, thereby setting the organisational course for continuing successful scientific collaboration.

Due to a large number of common mathematical interests in very diverse fields of mathematics, we decided to introduce a themed meeting bringing together researchers from the two institutions in related areas. The main objective is to get an idea about research interests and projects in each others' department (specifically at the PhD and postdoc level) and to provide a forum for future collaborations.

There will be two talks at the CRC Colloquium on 23 January 2026 at 4:15 pm. Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Winter will speak about "Underlying dynamics of classifiable C*-algebras: Paper-folding models of the CAR algebra". Prof. Dr. Shirly Geffen will give a talk entitled "Stable rank one in nonnuclear C*-algebras". These two lectures will take place in lecture hall M4. Get-together afterwards in the Cluster Common Room.

Prof. Dr. Anita Winter (Universität Duisburg-Essen) will speak about "Scaling limit of the Aldous-Broder chain on regular graphs: the transient regime" at the RTG Colloquium on 21 January 2026 at 5:00 pm. The talk will take place in room 216/217. Before the talk there will be an introductory talk for doctoral researchers and postdocs by Anita Winter at 4:00 pm and coffee and tea in the Cluster Lounge at 4:30 pm.

Schülerinnen ab der 7. Klasse sind am Donnerstag, 23. April 2026, am Exzellenzcluster Mathematik Münster und am Fachbereich Mathematik und Informatik eingeladen, Einblicke in das Studium und die Berufswelt von Mathematikerinnen zu bekommen. Jetzt anmelden!

A major recognition for Prof. Dr. Franziska Jahnke and Dr. Konstantinos Kartas: On 31 January 2026, research results of the two members of Mathematics Münster will be presented at the "Séminaire N. Bourbaki" in Paris. The internationally renowned seminar series is considered a barometer of current developments in mathematical research.