Third-Party Funding

Research Projects

Learning-Enhanced Robust Iterative Methods for Non-Smooth and Constrained Variational Problems

• Funding line: DFG-NSFC Sino-German Call on Intelligent Numerical Mathematics (NSFC-DFG 2025 iNum)
• Project duration: 2027-2029
• Funding awarded: €201,800 plus 22% programme allowance (DFG share)
• PIs: Sören Bartels, Yi Zhu, Alex Kaltenbach, and Shuo Yang

This project develops learning-enhanced numerical methods for non-smooth and constrained variational problems. The goal is to combine classical iterative solvers with machine learning techniques for adaptive parameter selection, improved initial iterates, and automated solver strategies, thereby increasing robustness and computational efficiency for challenging problems from computational mathematics and physics.

DOC-TWIN: Duality-Based Error Control for Optimal Control Problems in Digital-Twin-Based Structural Health Monitoring

• Funding line: MATH+ Application Area Technology, project AA-Tech-4
• Project duration: 2027-2028
• Funding awarded: one full-time research position (TV-L E13, 100%) for two years
• PIs: Michael Hintermüller, Alex Kaltenbach, and Harbir Antil

This project develops a convex-duality-based framework for reliable a posteriori and a priori error control in optimal control problems arising in digital-twin-based structural health monitoring. The methods aim to provide trustworthy error identities, adaptive mesh refinement strategies, and certified numerical solvers for safety-critical applications involving civil infrastructure.

Fellowships and Grants

Research Fellowships

Walter Benjamin Programme, 07/2023 – 03/2024
Nine-month fellowship to conduct theoretical and experimental research on numerical methods for smart fluids at the University of Pisa in cooperation with Prof. Dr. L. C. Berselli.
Funding amount: €25,362

Travel and Research-Stay Grants

• DAAD Kongressreisenprogramm 2026, 2026
  Travel grant to attend CMAM2026, Vienna, Austria.
  Funding amount: €924

• DAAD Kongressreisenprogramm 2023, 08/2023
  Travel grant to attend ICIAM 2023 (10th International Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics), Tokyo, Japan.
  Funding amount: €2,350

• Robert Bartnik Fellowship 2025, 03/2025
  Funding for a research stay at Monash University, Australia.
  Funding amount: €5,000