Stories Behind Theorems

Raffaella Mulas is a tenured Assistant Professor at VU Amsterdam, where her research is supported by NWO VENI and VU Startpremie grants. Previously, she was a Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, where her research group was supported by a Minerva Fast Track Fellowship from the Max Planck Society, and a postdoctoral researcher at the Alan Turing Institute in London. Outside of her academic work, she is also a storyteller, performing in theaters and sharing personal stories or those of people she knows. Combining her love of stories with her passion for mathematics, she has been interviewing mathematicians with a focus on their human side. She is the co-author of Bear Networks, a mathematics book for children, as well as an upcoming research monograph in mathematics.

• Chapter 1. Breaking stereotypes: Lisa Sauermann’s mathematical and social insights.- Chapter 2. Joost Hulshof’s enchanted world.- Chapter 3. Paul Erdos legacy and Abel Prize insights with Lászlo Lovász.- Chapter 4. Rianne de Heide: From statistics to music, with an open conversation on mental health.- Chapter 5. Science, theater, and intellectual curiosity with Max Planck Institute founder Juergen Jost.- Chapter 6. EMS Prize Winner Cristiana De Filippis’ perspective on research and life’s balance.- Chapter 7. Renee Hoekzema: Blending earth sciences, topology, and artistic expression.