Three years ago, the mathematician was asked if he would like to help shape the 2021/22 academic year as a Distinguished Visiting Professor. “I felt this was a great honour and accepted immediately,” he said. Every year at the IAS, the School of Mathematics organises a so-called special year – a year on a particular topic where many scholars at different career levels, from postdoc to professor, are invited to take part or can apply. It is the responsibility of the Distinguished Visiting Professor to plan the year, choose the topics and organise the activities. Currently, about 25 scientists are involved. There are regular seminars and colloquia. This year’s special programme focuses on a topic involving both geometry and fluid mechanics. One of the issues is how to use geometric methods to better understand turbulent flows, which are typically described purely statistically.
The professor of applied mathematics at Leipzig University has received a number of awards, including the 2018 Leibniz Prize from the German Research Foundation (DFG). Székelyhidi was awarded the Leibniz Prize, worth 2.5 million euros, for his significant research results in the theory of partial differential equations. He had previously secured a grant from the European Research Council (ERC).