Research

The focus of our research is in the field of mathematical analysis, in particular in the calculus of variations and the theory of partial differential equations.

In the calculus of variations, we strive for a deeper understanding of polyconvex and quasiconvex functions and study discrete variational problems in the limit to the continuum.

In the theory of partial differential equations, we examine e.g. systems of Navier-Stokes equations and evolution equations for magnetization and deformation gradients for existence and uniqueness of solutions. Other partial differential equations are strongly related to geometry or partial differential equation systems in the field of liquid crystals.

Many of the analytical questions we study are motivated by applications in physics or materials science, such as shape memory materials, fracture mechanics, magnetoviscoelastic materials or nonlinear elasticity theory.