Petra Schwer
I am full professor at the Institute of Mathematics.
The interplay between geometric objects and properties of their symmetries fascinates me.
My research interests lie at the interface between geometry and group theory. I am particularly interested in metric spaces of nonpositive curvature, polyhedral complexes and group actions on them. I study geometric and combinatorial aspects of Coxeter groups, (Bruhat-Tits) buildings and their generalizations.
Most of what I do is inspired by methods in geometric group theory and metric geometry. But I do like to apply these methods to other areas.
Office: Room 3/401 Mathematikon, Im Neuenheimer Feld 205, 69221 Heidelberg
Phone: +49-6221-54 14227
Email: schwer@uni-heidelberg.de
My work on zbMath and those under my old name on zbMath
My work on ArXiv
Publications and Preprints
Theses supervised
Doctoral Theses
- Isobel Davies (ongoing, OVGU)
- Marco Lotz (ongoing, OVGU, joint with Thomas Kahle)
- Anna Michael (ongoing, OVGU)
- Dr. Julia Heller (2018, KIT)
- Dr. Annette Karrer (2020, KIT)
Master theses
- Noam von Rotberg: Structural conjugation graphs over affine Coxeter groups (2023, OVGU)
- Max Zander: Robot motion planning via cube complexes (2022, OVGU)
- Mireille Soergel (2018, Heidelberg)
- Valentin Braun (2018, KIT)
- Peter Breul (WS 2017/18, KIT)
- Holger Mühlsteph (WS 2017/18, KIT)
- Marius Graeber (SS 2017, KIT)
- David Weniger (WS 2016/17, KIT)
Bachelor theses
- Henri Nikoleit: Schatten in hyperbolischen Coxetergruppen (2023, OVGU)
- Sophia Yuvchenko: Visualisierung hyperbolischer Parkettierungen (2023, OVGU)
- Maria Grammel: Die Mathematik im Briefwechsel zwischen Escher und Coxeter (Summer 2022, OVGU)
- Nico Fischer (gemeinsam mit Alexander Trost, Sommer 2022, OVGU)
- Yannick Steinkamp (2021, OVGU)
- Noam von Rotberg (2020, Uni Heidelberg)
- Jonas Labonte (SS 2018, KIT)
- Lena Eid (SS 2017, KIT)
- Laura Jesser (WS 2016/17, KIT)
- Stefan Lais (SS 2015, KIT)
Talks
2024
- November: Kolloquium der Mathematik, Leipzig
- September: Buildings 2024 - Linus' 60th
- September: BANFF Workshop on Combinatorial Nonpositive Curvature, Banff (CA)
- März: MSRI Workshop on Artin groups, Berkeley, (USA)
- März: Workshop ”Combinatorial coworkspace”, Kleinwalsertal, (AT)
- Januar: MFO Miniworkshop ” Artin groups meet triangulated categories“, Oberwolfach, (D)
2023
- November, Mini-course at the Master Class Kopenhagen (DK)
- Juli, Conference on Kac-Moody Theory, Kiel (D)
- Juni - Conference "Representation Theory", Lyon (F)
- Mai - GAGTA 2023, Wien (AT) - cancelled due to family reasons
- Mai, Mini-course on Bruhat-Tits buildings, Summer school on High-dimensional Expanders, Ghent (BE)
2022
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Dezember - Vortrag in der Reihe "Frauen in der Mathematik" des Mathematischen Seminars der Uni Kiel, (D)
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September - DMV Tagung, Algebra und Zahlentheorie Session, Berlin (D)
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September - Conference "Geometry meets combinatorics", Bielefeld (D)
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Juni - Algebra Seminar Frankfurt (D)
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Februar - MFO Workshop "Geometric Structures in Group Theory", Oberwolfach, (D)
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Januar - Kolloquium der Mathematik, Uni Hamburg (D)
2021
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November - Geometry and Algebra Seminar in Newcastle, Newcastle (GB)
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September - Workshop ”Combinatorics and representation theory“, Lausanne (CH)
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August - Summer School The dual approach to Coxeter and Artin groups; Garside theory and applications“, Berlin (D)
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Januar - Algebra Seminar Halle–Jena, virtuell
2020
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Mai - Virtual Workshop Polyhedral Products in Geometric Group Theory“, Fields Institue Toronto, Toronto (CA)
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März - Workshop "Combinatorial Coworkspace", Kleinwalsertal (AT)
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Jan - Math+ Friday: Kolloquium der Berlin Mathematical School (D)
2019
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Nov. - Workshop "Buildings and applications", MPI Leipzig (D)
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Okt. - EWM Meeting, Leipzig (D) Aug - Algebra Seminar, Sydney (AU)
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July - Felix-Klein Kolloquium, Leipzig (D)
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May - Mathematical Kolloquium, Göttingen (D)
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Feb. - Conference "Geometric Analysis meets Geometric Topology", Heidelberg (D)
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Feb. - ABCD Workshop, Aachen (D)
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Jan. - Algebra Seminar, Köln (D)
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Jan. - Bär Kolloquium, Magdeburg (D)
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Jan. - Seminar Sophus Lie, Gießen (D)
2018
- Nov. - Workshop "Groups in Madrid", Madrid (ESP) Nov. - Workshop on Algebraic Combinatorics, Berlin (D)
- Okt. - Buildings 2018, Münster (D)
- Sept. - Fall school in Besse (F)
- May - Oberseminar Analysis JLU-Gießen (D)
- April - Séminaire Algèbre ICJ, Lyon (F)
- March - Conference \emph{Geometry and Representation Theory of Algebraic Groups}, Bad Honnef (D)
- Jan. - Algebra Seminar, TU Kaiserslautern (D)
Short CV
Petra Schwer is Professor for Geometry at Heidelberg University since 02/2024.
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2018 - 2024 Professor for Geometry at the OVGU Madeburg
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2014-2018 Juniorprofessor for Geometry, KIT Karlsruhe
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Spring 2018 Prof invitée in Saint Étienne (Frankreich)
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2011-2014 Research position (DFG Eigene Stelle), WWU Münster
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2010 DAAD Scholarship, UC Davis (USA) and Institut Elie Cartan Nancy (Frankreich)
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2010 - 2011 Comodity Risk Controlling, RWE Power AG in Essen.
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Winter 2007 Lecturer, Tufts University, Boston (USA)
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2009 PhD in Mathematics, WWU Münster - Stipendium der Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes für die Promotion
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2005 Diplom in Mathematics, Uni Bonn
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Parental leave in 2011/12 (8 months) and 2025/16 (7 months)
Media and Press
- ein Mathe Podcast (mit Thomas Kahle, OVGU Magdeburg)
Modellansatz episode on metric geometry hosting Petra Schwer (in German)
Uni:magazin der OVGU: Mit Dreiecken das Wetter vorhersagen
Pressemitteilung der OVGU zur Antrittsvorlesung
Pressemitteilung der OVGU zur Berufung
Young Investigator Network - introductory video - Petra Schwer
Funding
Individual grants
- DFG Project SCH 1550/5-1 im SPP 2026 “Geometry at infinity” Titel: A unified approach to buildings and symmetric spaces, 2020.
- DFG Project SCH 1550/4-1 im SPP 2026 “Geometry at infinity” Titel: Compactifications and Local-to-Global Structure for BT-Buildings, 2017.
- DFG International scientific event SCH 1550/3-1 Konferenzmittel fur¨ Young Geometric Group Theory 5, 2015.
- DFG Project SCH 1550/2-1 Hadamard spaces: rigidity and recognition theorems , 2011.
- DAAD post-doc Program Projektionen in affinen Geb¨auden und Konvexität, 2010.
Collaborative grants
- DFG Research training group 2297 Titel: Mathematische Komplexitätsreduktion, OVGU, 2021.
- KIT MathSEE Anschubförderung Titel: Kubulation von Dreicksgittern für geometrische Analysen von Wolkenfeldern ; mit Aiko Voigt (Klimawissenschaftler, Uni Wien), 2020.
- YIN Grant – The geometry of big data clouds; mit Aiko Voigt (Klimawissenschaftler, Uni Wien), 2019.
- ARC Discovery Projects DP180102437 Titel: Affine flags, folded galleries and euclidean reflection groups. mit Elisabeth Mili´cevi´c (Haverford) und Anne Thomas (Sydney); 2017.
- DFG Research training group 2229 Titel: Asymptotic Invariants and Limits of Groups and Spaces KIT und Uni Heidelberg, 2016.
- KHYS Karlsruher House of Young Scientists International Collaboration Package; mit Gabriela Weitze-Schmithusen¨ (KIT), 2015.