“We are surrounded by top-level reseachers”
"The time has just flown by," says Junior Parfait Ngalamo. The 24-year-old Cameroonian has been a scholarship holder at the Cluster of Excellence Mathematics Münster since October last year. Until the end of July, he is being supported by the "Young African Mathematicians Fellowship Programme" (YAM for short). This programme enables talented and highly motivated master's graduates from Africa to further their academic development in a stimulating, international environment and lay down a solid foundation for their own careers. The Cluster has since 2023 been a cooperation partner of the programme, which was initiated at the University of Bonn in 2021 in collaboration with the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) and its five centres.
During their stay, the YAM fellows work on their own research projects and are guided by a mentor. In his project, Junior Parfait Ngalamo is working on portfolio optimisation in the stock market with different currencies. His mentor is PD Dr. Volkert Paulsen. "I'm interested in approaches that help to solve problems in the financial sector," he explains.
YAM Network Meeting Bonn
Junior Parfait Ngalamo: "Portfolio Optimisation in Stock Market with Different currencies".© MM/Raimar Wulkenhaar 
Abakar Asouna Mahamat: Closed biconservative hypersurfaces in spheres.© MM/Raimar Wulkenhaar 
Group of YAM-Fellows 2023/2024.© MM/Raimar Wulkenhaar
Abakar Assouna Mahamat, who comes from the Republic of Chad, specialised in algebraic geometry during his master's thesis at the AIMS centre in Senegal. As there is a worldwide renowned research group in the field of differential geometry at Münster University, he applied to the Cluster here to learn more about Riemannian geometry. He is currently working on a project entitled "Closed biconservative hypersurfaces in spheres", supervised by Prof. Dr. Anna Siffert.
The third member of the YAM team is Marjory Mwanza from Zambia. She completed her master's degree at the AIMS Centre in South Africa. Her focus during her time in Münster is on geometric group theory. "On the construction of graph products from finite groups" is the title of her project, her mentor is Prof. Dr. Linus Kramer. "I've already learnt a lot through seminars, conferences and intensive reading," says the 25-year-old.
One highlight for the three of them was the network event involving all the current YAM fellows which was held in Bonn in March. They presented their projects and received a wealth of feedback from peers and audience alike. "The experience was simultaneously enriching, exhilarating and challenging at the same time," recalls Abakar Assouna Mahamat.
In their everyday work, the interaction with the other scientists in the Cluster of Excellence is something they find particularly helpful and valuable. "We are surrounded by top researchers working on fascinating subjects," says Junior Parfait Ngalamo. "What I like here is that the different research groups also have lunch together in the refectory and then discuss maths and exchange ideas over coffee."
"The scholarship holders have become a real part of Mathematics Münster. That's a win-win situation for everyone," says Prof. Raimar Wulkenhaar, the academic coordinator of the YAM programme at the Mathematics Münster Cluster of Excellence. There were many hurdles at the beginning: from visa problems and university bureaucracy to finding accommodation. Thanks to dedicated people both inside and outside the Cluster, everything was sorted out so that the three have been able to concentrate fully on their development as mathematicians. The selection round for the next scholarship holders will be starting soon. They will receive funding for ten months to cover the costs of travelling, living and accommodation.
In addition to maths, living in a foreign place is another interesting aspect of the research stay. The three YAM scholarship holders find Münster to be "quiet and relaxed". "It's cold here, but even someone like me who is used to the climate in central Africa can adapt to it," says Abakar Assouna Mahamat. At any rate, the temperature is not stopping him from considering doing a doctorate in Germany - just like the other two as well.
About YAM:
Young African Mathematicians (YAM) Fellowship Programme is dedicated to promoting young African mathematicians. Through this initiative, young talented and highly motivated graduates of the receive fellowships to gain experience in a new research environment. The YAM network is a collaboration between the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) and its five AIMS centers in Cameroon, Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa and four German Clusters of Excellence with a focus on mathematics: Berlin Mathematics Research Center MATH+ (Berlin), Hausdorff Center for Mathematics (Bonn), Mathematics Münster (Münster) and Structures (Heidelberg). The YAM programme enables outstanding graduates of the AIMS master's programme to spend an academic year at a partner's research institution in Germany.
The next YAM Network Meeting will take place on 17 June 2024 in Münster.
Links:
YAM Programme at Mathematics Münster
A shorter version of this article was published in the university newspaper "wissen I leben" on 8 May 2024.