From Madrid and Baku to Münster: Motivated by mathematics
Roughly 4,500 kilometers by air lie between Madrid and Baku, the hometowns of Natalia Sampedro Loro and Anar Abdullayev. Yet the two students have quite a lot in common. They are both 23 years old, played a lot of chess in their childhood, and are now studying in the third semester of the English-language Mathematics Master’s programme at the University of Münster. And they are doing so with such dedication and success that they have each been awarded a monthly scholarship of 1,000 Euros for one year by the Berlin-based foundation “Wübben Stiftung Wissenschaft”.
Their love for mathematics began early. For Natalia Sampedro Loro, math problems at school were like exciting, entertaining games. In Anar Abdullayev’s family, both his parents are teaching maths, and as a result, mathematical formulas were always around and sparked his curiosity. “Once mathematics grabs you, there is no exit,” he says.
During their Bachelor’s studies – she in Madrid, he in Ankara – they discovered their interest in specific areas of mathematics. “I have always been curious about the foundations of mathematics, and logic is the area that delves most deeply into these questions,” says the Spanish student. Her search for a master’s programme at a university with an especially strong research logic group led her to Münster.
Anar Abdullayev is interested in the interplay between mathematical theory and applications to real-world phenomena through mathematical modeling and computer-based numerical methods. He received offers for a place in a master’s programme from several European universities. However, he was attracted to Münster by, among other things, the research conducted by the working group for numerical analysis and a scholarship from the Mathematics Münster Cluster of Excellence.
In the first few weeks, Natalia Sampedro Loro missed her family deeply, especially her twin sister. “But through my shared apartment and the international community of the Master’s programme, I quickly made friends,” she says. She enjoys the nature surrounding Münster on long walks and works as a tutor at the university alongside her studies. “Her commitment goes far beyond what is usual. For example, she prepares detailed sample solutions for the Bachelor students,” emphasizes Prof. Dr. Franziska Jahnke, who nominated Natalia for the Wübben scholarship. In addition, she demonstrates an impressively deep understanding of the subject matter during her master’s seminars.
Anar Abdullayev, who also prefers to spend his free time working on mathematics and programming, was nominated for the scholarship by Prof. Dr. Angela Stevens. She noticed him because he attended more lectures than required, asked excellent scientific questions, quickly mastered new mathematical techniques, and achieved good and very good grades. “He is mathematically very independent and self-reliant,” the professor says.
“After my master’s degree, I want to continue with doctoral studies and stay in research,” says the Azerbaijani. Natalia can also imagine following this path, maybe even in Münster, even though both often find the city a little bit too quiet, given the bustle of their hometowns.
This article is taken from the university newspaper wissen|leben No. 8, 10 December 2025.