HYPATIA.SCIENCE
An initiative to promote young female scientists at the Department of Mathematics/Computer Science
Contact: hypatia-math-cs(at)uni-koeln(dot)de
In the transition from undergraduate to doctoral studies, the proportion of women in mathematics and computer science is declining significantly: while almost half of Bachelor's and Master's students are still female, the proportion among doctoral students has fallen to around 25%. At the same time, experience shows that involving female students in research projects at an early stage can encourage them to choose a career in science.
Against this background, HYPATIA.SCIENCE provides project-related financial support for female students in mathematics and computer science. The aim of the funding is to give female students a qualified insight into everyday scientific research and to introduce them to independent research activities at an early stage in order to increase the proportion of female scientific staff in the department in the long term.
HAPATIA.SCIENCE has awarded the Jenny Gusyk Prize 2021 in the "Innovation" category. The University of Cologne awards three of these prizes annually in the field of gender &/or queer studies/gender equality/family-friendly leadership. We are very pleased about the recognition of our commitment.
Guideline
Research Funding 2026
Preparations for the HYPATIA.SCIENCE 2026 research grant program have been completed. You can find the corresponding call for proposals here as a PDF file.
Forschungsförderung_Hypatia_Science_2026
Previously funded research projects
Call for proposals 2025
Janina Tikko - Swarm-based methods for non-convex optimization
Call for proposals 2023
Anja Balovneva - Numerical solution of control problems with PDEs on metric graphs
Anahita Pouralijanki - Representation theory of finite-dimensional algebras
Annika Vogt - Requirements engineering meets prompt engineering
Hannah Windgasse - Starting IPS: Implementation of a prototype for course planning
S.H. - Graph Neural Networks Meet Climate Modeling
Call for proposals 2022
Sarah Knoll - BPX preconditioner for variational inequalities
Kira Hoffmann - Optimal control of the insurance surplus process through reinsurance
Call for proposals 2021
Chong-Son Dröge - Numerical spectral analysis on non-equilateral metric graphs
Jasmin Ginkel - Rogers-Ramanujan type identities
Lea Marie Hüpper - Computational analysis of the density of lattice packings of rounded tetrahedra
Call for proposals 2020
Svenja Griesbach - Pandoras box problems on metric spaces
Anna Nechamkina - Recurrence and transiency in Boolean random graphs
Pauline Scharf - Local harmonic measure forms on hyperbolic space
Antonia Thiemeyer - Local optima of Gaussian mass
Anouk Weber - Models of mathematical epidemiology and scientific machine learning
The project reports of the completed projects can be found here.
FAQ
I do not speak German. Can I apply?
English-speaking applicants are welcome (even though all documents are in German). Get in touch with us if you need any help!
Can a HYPATIA.SCIENCE position also be combined with a master's thesis?
A HYPATIA.SCIENCE position should not be directly linked to a master's thesis. However, the research project may well address a related issue within the subject area of the thesis.
Who writes the application?
The application is submitted jointly by the academic supervisor and the student. The project description can be written by either the supervisor or the student.
What should be taken into account when formulating the application?
The tasks to be undertaken by the student as part of the research project should be chosen in such a way that progress can be made during the funding period. The project application should therefore specify not only the scientific objectives but also the planned work packages. The application should also be formulated in such a way that the issues to be investigated are understandable even to non-specialists from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
How are the submitted projects evaluated?
Projects will be evaluated solely on the basis of the information submitted in the application, particularly the project description. Previous academic achievements will not be taken into account in the decision.
What tasks can a position involve?
The positions are intended to provide insight into everyday research and therefore include research tasks. These should be chosen in such a way that it is possible to make noticeable progress during the funding period. In particular, no teaching duties may be undertaken within the framework of a HYPATIA.SCIENCE position.