Each year, MATH+ awards two to three Hanna Neumann Fellowships to outstanding female postdoctoral researchers in recognition of their achievements in mathematics and to promote their international visibility in the MATH+ research areas. In 2026, MATH+ selected three Hanna Neumann Fellows from nominations submitted by MATH+ members.

This year’s external Hanna Neumann Fellow Caroline Namanya (Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda) is hosted by Dominic Bunnett at TU Berlin for two research stays, in July and December.

Two additional Hanna Neumann Fellowships were awarded to MATH+ members Hana Dal Poz Kouřimská (Universität Potsdam) and Luisa Plato (Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics, WIAS). The two postdoctoral researchers will use their fellowships to pursue research stays and collaborations with colleagues in France (Hana), and the UK and the U.S. (Luisa).

Hana is based at Universität Potsdam, where her research lies at the intersection of differential, discrete, and computational geometry. Luisa is a member of a research group at the Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS). Her research focuses on the analysis, numerical simulation, and optimal control of partial differential equations, connecting mathematical theory with applications in complex fluids, cross-diffusion systems, and population dynamics.

In our interview, Hana and Luisa discuss their paths into mathematics, their fellowship-supported research stays in France, the UK, and the U.S., the challenges women face in academia, and their ambitions for future research and collaboration.

LINKS:

• Read the full interview with Hanka Dal Poz Kouřimská and Luisa Plato  
• The MATH+ Hanna Neumann Fellowship