Stephan Tillmann

Postdoctoral Fellow

Department de mathematiques, Universite de Quebec a Montreal (UQAM)

Graduated 2001

I completed an honours degree in mathematics at the University of Melbourne in 1997 whilst on exchange from Germany. Having enjoyed the topic of my honours research as well as the atmosphere in the department, I decided to stay in Melbourne to do a PhD. This was a rewarding experience. The working conditions were great and my supervisors were both inspiring and supportive. Generous funding enabled me to participate at several conferences and workshops in Australia and overseas, and to visit Columbia University in New York for six months. Aside from doing research and talking to researchers, I also worked as a sessional tutor for first and second year subjects at the department as well as college.

Currently, I am a postdoctoral fellow at a university in Canada. My position entails mostly research, and I also do some teaching. I have a research program which continues the material of my thesis, and I work on a few other projects together with collaborators. A definite highlight during my time in Montreal so far was the opportunity to organise a workshop at my institute. In the coming semester, I will lecture the introductory linear algebra course, a course which I have tutored many times in Melbourne, but which I still need to practise some French for...

I enjoy the mathematics I do, the balance between research and teaching, and the flexibility of work and travel in academia. The way I learned to approach mathematics in Melbourne is now an essential part of my research and teaching style.