The Independent Research Fund Denmark supports talented young researchers at a high international level who are ready to become a research group leader through the Sapere Aude programme. On 30 November 2023, Alexandra-Iulia Otiman, fellow at the Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies and assistant professor at the Department of Mathematics at Aarhus University is awarded a 4-year Sapere Aude research leader grant of DKK 6.2 million for her project entitled ‘Conformal geometry: metrics and cohomology.’

The grant enables Alexandra-Iulia Otiman to build a research group of talented young researchers from all over the world to work toward the goal of advancing the mathematics of geometry. It will further give Alexandra-Iulia Otiman and her team the opportunity to enlarge their international network and enrich their research further through continued interaction with some of the world leading experts in the area.

Understanding the shape of a space in arbitrary dimensions

Her new research project is aiming at making theoretical advances in the field of differential geometry and more precisely at understanding the shape of some special spaces in arbitrary high dimensions by using a particular way of measuring distances. 

"Describing the shape of a space in a dimension more than four is not a straightforward task. To achieve this, my team and I will use abstract theories coming from various sides and branches of mathematics that will produce the appropriate tools and framework,” says 2023 Sapere Aude recipient Alexandra-Iulia Otiman, AIAS and the Department of Mathematics at Aarhus University.

From theoretical advances to practical applications

Mathematics permeates modern society in many aspects, shapes and forms. The tools that Alexandra-Iulia Otiman and her team aim at developing will not have short-term concrete applications beyond building a much-improved understanding of geometry from a theoretical perspective.

When considering more long-term perspectives Alexandra-Iulia Otiman is convinced that their achievements will find practical application:

“History has taught us that the mathematical tools developed in my field and neighbouring fields have made many of the inventions that we today take for granted, such as the GPS. By using metrics, geometry has nowadays a wide range of applications in practical fields such as biology and computer science, and the results we are aiming for in my project could potentially be of use in the long-term in such areas.”

First and foremost, Alexandra-Iulia Otiman and her team shall develop new tools and new instruments which will be beneficial and useful for the mathematical community, i.e. basic research. In the long run, these tools will generate new potential ideas and theories and serve as an effective measure of progress in the field. 

About the Independent Research Fund Denmark

Read about all the 2023 Sapere Aude recipients here: https://dff.dk/aktuelt/nyheder/fri-forskning-i-danmark-styrket-med-39-talentfulde-forskere (in Danish)

About the Independent Research Fund Denmark here: https://dff.dk/en

Contact

Alexandra-Iulia Otiman, AIAS Fellow, Assistant Professor
E-mail: aiotiman@aias.au.dk

Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (AIAS) &
Department of Mathematics
Aarhus University
Denmark