WIAS PhD Group
Apes together strong.
To the website of the group of PhD students at the Weierstrass-Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics!
We are holding elections on June 19, right after the PhD seminar. 📣
Some suggested reading:
Talks are not the same as papers by Terence Tao.
Advices for dealing with a math bully by Fan Chung Graham.
A few words on research for graduate students by Fan Chung Graham.
A mathematics research conference by Katharine A. Ott.
| Date | Contribution |
|---|---|
| 19.06.2025 Thursday! at 11:00 PhD Rehearsal | Stefanie Schindler (RG 1) Asymptotic self-similar behavior in coupled systems Abstract: Self-similar behavior is a well-studied phenomenon in spatially extended systems. However, the majority of research has focused on scalar problems that possess exact self-similar solutions, such as the porous medium equation. Moreover, solutions are usually considered with trivial behavior at infinity, particularly in the case of finite mass or energy. In this talk, we demonstrate that self-similarity can also occur asymptotically, thus enabling the qualitative description of long-time behavior. As guiding examples, we will mainly examine two systems: First, a coupled reaction-diffusion system with mass-action kinetics, and second, the one-dimensional compressible Euler equations with damping. Even though both systems are mathematically different in many respects, they have one thing in common: their asymptotic self-similar behavior. We consider both systems to be defined on the whole space and prescribed with nontrivial boundary data at infinity. Hence, the main task is to overcome the difficulties of the unbounded domain and infinite mass. |
The PhD lunch is still alive and happening regularly! 🌮
Every Tuesday at 12:30, you are happily invited to join us for lunch! We meet in front of the entry to the main building! 🥪
As a result of the employee survey (Mitarbeiterbefragung MAB), a committee was set in place to develop appropriate measures for improving the working conditions at the institute.
One outgrowth of that was to institute a buddy group of volunteers who meet up monthly to offer a platform for discussing challenges and filling general gaps for newcomers to the WIAS.
See also:
the MAB committee's webpage (only reachable from within the WIAS via e.g. VPN)
You may have heard through the grapevine that the infamous WissZeitVG is currently in the process of being reformed.
While some suggestions seem to actually constitute an improvement - such as the plan to mandate (within limits) three-year contracts for newly hired PhDs - other parts of it have caused quite a stir in the German academic world. Most notably, the plan is to limit the maximum post-doc employment period under fixed-term contracts to only 3 years.
This has been met with severe criticism by labor unions, some research organizations and even professors who regard this development as significant in impacting the working conditions in academia in a negative fashion.
If you are interested in reading more about the general background and recent developments, especially from an English-speaking point of view, check out the following links:
Leibniz PostDoc Network: a network of postdoc scientists within the Leibniz Association engaging in information gathering, communcation, and advocacy.
#ProfsFürHanna: an alliance of professors who have co-signed an open letter calling for the revision of the proposed amendments to the WissZeitVG.
GEW [German]: Educators' and Scientists' Labor Union providing some details on the proposed amendments and reactions to them in German.
NGA - Network for Decent Labor in Academia [mostly German]: a network of mid-level academics in Germany engaged in information-gathering and advocacy for better working conditions in academia.
For German sources, we warmly recommend running bits of text through the DeepL Translator.
