The mathematician from the University of Bonn is being honored for her outstanding work in mathematical analysis. In her research on microstructures, she is particularly interested in metal alloys that have a shape memory: For example, a severely bent paper clip made of such a material automatically returns to its original state when heated. Behind this are special lattice structures that are combined in different ways like individual building blocks and thus influence the behavior of the material. The mathematician also works on so-called “inverse problems”, which involve reconstructing information from indirect measurements, as is the case with X-ray tomography or ultrasound examinations, for example. The nature of the body can be deduced from this indirect information without having to take tissue samples. The highly endowed prize allows great freedom in research. Rüland, who is also a member of the Transdisciplinary Research Area “Modeling” at the University of Bonn, would like to use the prize money to further expand her research group at the HCM.
About the Leibniz Prize
In December 2024, the DFG's Joint Committee awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize 2025 to four female and six male researchers. They had previously been selected from 142 proposals by the responsible selection committee. Of the ten prizewinners, two come from the humanities and social sciences, four from the life sciences, three from the natural sciences and one from the engineering sciences.
The winners each receive prize money of 2.5 million euros. They can use this money for their research work for up to seven years according to their own ideas and without any bureaucratic effort.
Press release from the University of Bonn on the announcement of the Leibniz Prize: https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/news/240-20241
Press release from the DFG: https://www.dfg.de/en/funded-projects/prizewinners/leibniz-prize/20252
DFG video on Prof. Dr. Angkana Rüland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTDXtvCseOg3
