Research into more precise flow simulations awarded / 100,000 euros prize money for the further development of numerical methods
Darmstadt. Professor Tabea Tscherpel, a mathematics professor at the Technical University of Darmstadt, been awarded the 2025 Dr. Hans Messer Foundation Prize by the Hans and Ria Messer Foundation numerical methods for simulating complex flows , thus making a significant contribution to progress in engineering and the natural sciences.
The prize, endowed with 100,000 euros doubled this year in honor of the 100th birthday of founder Dr. Hans Messer stable and highly precise calculation of flow phenomena – such as the swimming behavior of fish, the blood flow in veins or the movement of glaciers.
As early as the 19th century, Stokes and Navier the fundamental equations for describing fluid flows. However, these can only be solved exactly for idealized cases. Tscherpel is developing algorithms accurate and long-term stable simulations even in complex, curved, and moving environments . She plans to use the prize money to fund a doctoral position and to strengthen international collaboration in her field.
“Hardly anyone in my circle fits the stereotype of mathematicians who conduct research alone in their quiet study,” says Tscherpel. She considers professional exchange international workshop is planned, as well as support for her doctoral students with conference travel .
After studying in Magdeburg and Cambridge, Tscherpel received her doctorate from the University of Oxford She then conducted research at RWTH Aachen University and Bielefeld University . For the past three years, she has been teaching at TU Darmstadt , where she contributes her expertise to the university's core research areas of "Computational Engineering" and "Thermo-Fluids and Interfacial Phenomena" .
About the Hans and Ria Messer Foundation
The Hans and Ria Messer Foundation was established in 1978 by Dr. Hans Messer and promotes education and training, science, and research . The foundation's prize has been awarded regularly at TU Darmstadt since 1994 and is considered the most prestigious award for researchers in the early stages of their careers at the university.
Further information:
👉 www.tu-darmstadt.de
👉 www.messergroup.com
(Darmstadt - Red/TU)
Featured image: Tabea Tscherpel from the Department of Mathematics at TU Darmstadt receives this year's Dr. Hans Messer Foundation Prize from the Hans and Ria Messer Foundation. The 34-year-old assistant professor develops numerical methods for simulating complex flows. The Dr. Hans Messer Foundation Prize, awarded by the Hans and Ria Messer Foundation (until 2024, the Dr. Hans Messer Foundation), is presented annually to promote research and teaching for scientists in the early stages of their careers with outstanding achievements in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, economics, social sciences, and humanities. This year, the prize is endowed with €100,000. In the picture (from left): Maureen Messer-Casamayou, Chair of the Board of the Hans and Ria Messer Foundation; Martin Messer, Chair of the Board of the Hans and Ria Messer Foundation; prize winner Professor Tabea Tscherpel; and Professor Tanja Brühl, President of TU Darmstadt. Photo: Klaus Mai
