The Hausdorff Research Institute hosts scientific activities and international visitors all year around! Each fall, spring and summer HIM hosts a 15-week long Trimester Program - or Junior Trimester Program - on a specific mathematical research topic. And each of these Trimester Programs features a school and 2-3 workshops as well as seminars and a public lecture. In the weeks between programs, former Trimester Program participants return to HIM for Follow-Up Workshops. Several times a year, the general public is invited to experience the unique HIM atmosphere at the Mathematical Salon or a public talk.
Work Environment
The Hausdorff Research Institute is housed in a beautiful historic building in one of the most charming streets of Bonn. The building offers office space for 30 visitors. There are two lecture halls for up to 50 and 20 people, respectively. The terraces and the large garden with its own blackboard contribute to the special atmosphere. HIM provides sufficient space for meetings with and gives mathematicians of all ages the opportunity to discuss with leading experts in their field.
The house offers:
- quiet, relaxed atmosphere devoted to individual and collaborative work
- individual offices and group offices
- meeting rooms and a social room
- a parent-child office
- technical support on site
- 86 inch smart boards in all offices and discussion rooms
- blackboards (many multi-panel) in discussion and lecture rooms
- afternoon tea with cake at 4 p.m. each work day
- bicycle pool for long-term guests
- central location with easy access to restaurants and shops
- close vicinity to Mathematics Center and Max Planck Institute for Mathematics
Fellowships and Accommodation
The Hausdorff Research Institute for Mathematics (HIM) offers fellowships for guests who visit the HIM for 15 days or longer. The fellowships allow to cover the basic expenses associated with a stay at HIM. The compensation is commensurate with the academic status of the visitor.
PhD students who are invited to HIM Trimester Programs are offered accommodation and a travel cost allowance.
HIM has a small portfolio of modest fully furnished and equipped guest apartments that are being made available to our guests based on availability.
Family Friendliness
At HIM, we welcome visitors who come with their families. Our parent-child office allows parents to combine work and child care. And several of our guest apartments are outfitted to allow for a comfortable stay with a partner and with children - both babies and toddlers, and older kids.
Upon request, our team can provide you with information about child care options or schooling options.
History of HIM
HIM was founded in 2006, modeled on international mathematical research institutions whose long-term thematic programs had a visible impact on the evolution of mathematical research.
Under its first scientific Director Matthias Kreck, HIM began hosting high-level Trimester Programs in 2007, and added the unique program ofJunior Trimester Programs in 2008, that were specifically designed to serve the needs of young researchers. In addition, the Mathematical Salon began inviting the interested general public to HIM twice a year to enjoy a public talk about mathematics and a musical performance, and to be able to engage in informal discussions.
In 2011, Wolfgang Lück became the Director of HIM and he increased the international visibility of the institute and the sustainability of its research programs. Follow-up workshops, which were introduced in 2015 allowed participants of a Trimester Program to meet again a few months to years later to discuss the recent developments in the area of their program.
From 2017 to September 2024, Christoph Thiele was the Director of HIM. He introduced the concept of Dual Trimester Programs, which have the potential to establish new collaboration across different research communities, either within mathematics or between mathematics and its applications. In addition to the Mathematical Salon, another public lecture series was established during his era, in which guest researchers at HIM report on a topic that is related to the research of their trimester program in a broader sense.
Since October 2024, Karl-Theodor Sturm is the Direcor of HIM.
5 minute walk from Bonn central train station to HIM
Leave the station through the back exit into the street called Quantiusstraße. Cross at the zebra crossing and turn left. Walk to the corner: the cross-street is the Poppelsdorfer Allee. Cross (careful of traffic from your left) and walk to the right up the Poppelsdorfer Allee, towards the Poppelsdorfer Castle in the distance. At the next intersection, continue straight on up the avenue. HIM is building No. 45 on the left side of Poppelsdorfer Allee behind the wrought iron gate.
The airport shuttle drops you in front of the central train station. Cross at the traffic light nearest you and take the escalator down to the underground passage. Go straight to the end of the passageway until you reach the street (Quantiusstrasse) and follow the directions above.
If you are coming to a Workshop or School, go straight to Poppelsdorfer Allee 45 and sign-in.
If you are coming for a (Junior) Trimester Program, come first to the HIM Administration at Poppelsdorfer Allee 82, diagonally across the street from the Institute proper.