Hausdorff Center for Mathematics

Lillian Pierce, Bonn Research Chair and member of the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics (HCM), has been elected a fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) for her many contributions in the support of women both locally and nationally through the organization of such events as “Re:boot Number Theory”, “A room of one’s own”, and Graduate Research Opportunities for Women (GROW). The Executive Committee of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) has established the AWM Fellows Program to recognize members who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to the support and advancement of women in the mathematical sciences. 

Anton Bovier, professor at the Institute for Applied Mathematics at the University of Bonn and member of the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics (HCM), has been elected as fellow of the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc). EurASc is a fully independent international association of distinguished scholars that aims to recognize and elect to its membership the best European scientists with a vision for Europe as a whole, transcending national borders, and with the aims of strengthening European science and scientific cooperation. It is completely independent of any national entity in its membership, election processes, deliberations, and actions. One of EurASc's purposes is to play a role complementary to those of national academies and the European Academies' Science Advisory Council (EASAC). 

Gerd Faltings, Emeritus Director of the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn, was elected a member of the Order Pour le Mérite. The Order now has 34 German and 37 foreign members, including 17 Nobel Prize winners. Being elected to the Order Pour le Mérite is one of the highest honors that can be awarded to scientists and artists in Germany. The association of artists and scholars was founded in 1842 by Prussian King Frederick William IV and revived in 1952 by Federal President Theodor Heuss. The Order Pour le Mérite is under the protectorate of the Federal President. It is financed and organized by the Minister of State for Culture and the Media. Two other directors of the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, Friedrich Hirzebruch and Yuri Manin, were already members of the Order.

Artificial intelligence and computer science are driving developments in many areas of society – including in scientific research. This has prompted the Max Planck Society and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to honour outstanding achievements in the use of algorithms in mathematics, microscopy and climate research in 2024: The Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award, endowed with 1.5 million euros, goes to Geordie Williamson, Professor at the University of Sydney. Williamson uses artificial intelligence (AI) for his fundamental work in mathematics. The prizewinner will also cooperate closely with the mathematics at the University of Bonn in this field. The awards will be presented on 3 December in Berlin.