Institutes of Mathematics

The mathematics department of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science is divided into three institutes and one affiliated scientific institution.

Mathematical Institute (MI)

For a long time, Göttingen was a world-leading center for mathematical teaching and research. During this period, there was a unique concentration of highly creative mathematicians. Today's Mathematical Institute was established between 1927 and 1929 as a consolidation of the mathematical institutions scattered throughout the city into one location, and it is representative of this golden age of mathematics in Göttingen.

The Mathematical Institute is home to two fundamental research areas. Numerous research groups deal with questions of pure mathematics and, in the context of research-oriented teaching, offer the opportunity for more intensive study of specific areas and the identification of questions for a possible doctorate. In addition to the basic lectures, numerous special lectures and seminars on pure mathematics are also offered.

The institute also boasts an extensive reference library, which offers members and affiliates of the Department of Mathematics, students at the University of Göttingen, and other scientists and lecturers a select collection of specialist literature for research, teaching, and study.

The historically significant collection of mathematical instruments and models is another outstanding feature of the Mathematical Institute, stemming from Göttingen's mathematical history. The collection consists of more than 500 exhibits and covers a period from 1780 to 1930, with most exhibits dating from between 1870 and 1920.

Institute for Numerical and Applied Mathematics (NAM)

The Institute for Numerical and Applied Mathematics was founded by the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and began teaching in the winter semester of 1969/70 with the aim of promoting scientific computing and the applications of mathematics in research and teaching.

The Institute for Numerical and Applied Mathematics is home to one of the two application-oriented research focuses. Numerous research and practical projects offer students the opportunity to gain insights into mathematical applications during their studies and to identify particularly interesting topics for a possible doctoral thesis.

In addition to basic lectures in numerical analysis and optimization, special lectures on differential equations, inverse problems, and approximation methods, as well as discrete optimization and operations research, are offered.

Institute for Mathematical Stochastics (IMS)

The Institute for Mathematical Stochastics was founded in 1918 by Felix Bernstein with the collaboration of David Hilbert as the “Institute for Mathematical Statistics and Actuarial Science.”

The Institute for Mathematical Stochastics is home to one of the two application-oriented research areas. It currently comprises four research groups that deal with diverse areas of probability theory and mathematical statistics and, in collaboration with the Felix Bernstein Institute for Mathematical Statistics in the Life Sciences, develop modern methods of mathematical statistics for applications in the biological and life sciences.

In addition to the curricula for probability theory, mathematical statistics, and actuarial science for bachelor's and master's degree programs in mathematics and the newly created bachelor's degree program in “Mathematical Data Science,” the opportunity to pursue a doctorate with a topic from mathematical stochastics is also offered.

As a further scientific institution, the Felix Bernstein Institute for Mathematical Statistics in the Life Sciences (FBMS) coordinates and promotes research at the interface of mathematical statistics and life sciences within the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science.