By Johan Joelsson 

Photo. Alex Bergman, Jorge Fariña-Asategui and Erik Wahlén have been awarded funding from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
Photo: Private, Joakim Cronvall, Stefano Pasquali.
 

This year, sixteen mathematicians have been awarded a total of SEK 35 million in research funding through the mathematics programme – a collaboration between the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Three of the recipients are mathematicians at Lund University.

Since its launch in 2014, the programme has contributed to strengthening Swedish mathematical research. Each year, a number of mathematicians are given the opportunity to carry out research abroad at leading institutions, while distinguished international mathematicians are recruited to Sweden.

The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation funds the programme, while the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences evaluates the candidates. This year, Lund University has been awarded three grants.

Postdoctoral positions at universities abroad, including funding for two years after returning to Sweden:

• Doctoral student Alex Bergman, Lund University (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA)
• Doctoral student Jorge Fariña-Asategui, Lund University (Université de Genève, Switzerland)

Funding to recruit an international researcher to a postdoctoral position in Sweden:

• Professor Erik Wahlén

– The programme is, and has been, important for the development of Swedish mathematics and research. The demand for mathematical expertise is increasing, not least in connection with developments in AI. Access to skilled mathematicians is an important competitive advantage both for research, which is becoming increasingly data-driven, and for innovation in industry, says Peter Wallenberg Jr, Chair of the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.