DFG recognises work in mathematical systems theory / Award ceremony to be held on 29 October in Bochum in connection with the Gauss Lecture of the German Mathematical Society
Mathematician Dr. Andrii Mironchenko from the University of Bayreuth will receive this year’s von Kaven Award, conferred by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) in recognition of his outstanding research in mathematical systems theory. The von Kaven Award traditionally goes to mathematicians conducting research under the DFG’s Heisenberg Programme or Emmy Noether Programme. Endowed with €10,000, this year’s award will be presented on 29 October in connection with the Gauss Lecture of the German Mathematical Society (Deutsche Mathematiker-Vereinigung, DMV) in Bochum. The laudatory speech will be delivered by Professor Dr. Birgit Jacob of the University of Wuppertal, a member of the DFG Mathematics review board.
Andrii Mironchenko’s work is concerned with so-called infinite-dimensional systems – mathematical models that may underlie optimised, adaptive and self-regulating traffic-control systems, for example, or intelligent power networks. They fall within the field of mathematical systems theory, which develops the theoretical foundations needed to control and stabilise dynamical systems.
Control mechanisms in technical systems are based on mathematical models that can never describe such systems exactly, as they are often subject to hidden dynamics, inaccurate or unknown parameters, and external disturbances. It is well known that even small disturbances can drastically impair performance, alter stability or even destabilise the control system itself. Andrii Mironchenko develops methods to ensure the robustness of various control mechanisms to prevent such undesired effects from occurring.
Much of mathematical systems theory is based on the structural assumption that the space in which a system is located does not change over time, but this assumption is not valid for many natural and human-made systems. One typical challenge is to design an optimised, adaptive traffic-control system whose controller remains functional and scalable even when new roads and vehicles enter or leave the network. A related problem is the organisation of an intelligent power grid that ensures robust and efficient energy generation and transmission, even as the size and topology of the grid changes when microgrids are connected or disconnected. Mironchenko is working on developing a general paradigm for modelling such systems.
After studying applied mathematics at Odessa University, Ukraine, Mironchenko obtained his doctorate at the University of Bremen with a dissertation on the stability of infinite-dimensional control systems. Following a postdoctoral position at the University of Würzburg and a fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science at the Kyushu Institute of Technology, he worked as a postdoc at the University of Passau, where he completed his habilitation (post-doctoral lecturing qualification) in 2023. After serving as a private lecturer at the University of Klagenfurt, Austria, he moved to the University of Bayreuth in December 2024. Since then, he has received funding under the DFG’s Heisenberg Programme.
Mironchenko is the author of more than 70 journal and conference papers in the fields of control theory and applied mathematics. He is also co-founder and co-organiser of the biennial workshop series “Stability and Control of Infinite-Dimensional Systems”, and he is a Senior Member of the international professional association IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). In 2023, he received the IEEE CSS George S. Axelby Outstanding Paper Award, and in 2024 the Outstanding Habilitation Award of the University of Passau for his habilitation thesis.
The von Kaven Award
The Kaven Award usually goes to mathematicians participating in the DFG's Heisenberg Programme or Emmy Noether Programme as a special distinction, but may also be awarded on recommendation for outstanding research achievements by mathematicians working in the European Union. The recipient is selected by the DFG’s Mathematics review board. The prize money comes from a foundation established in 2004 by mathematician Herbert von Kaven together with the DFG. Von Kaven was primarily interested in the foundations of mathematics, to which he was committed to promoting throughout his life. He died in 2009 at the age of 101.
Further Information
For further information on the von Kaven Award, see:
https://www.dfg.de/von_kaven_award
For further information on the Gauss Lecture of the German Mathematical Society in Bochum, see:
https://www.mathematik.de/dmv/gauss-vorlesungen