Mathematician Can Atacan is a doctoral student in the International Research Training Group 2235 ‘The Regular in the Irregular’, a joint research program of Bielefeld University and Seoul National University. He is currently researching random matrix theory in South Korea.
‘I really enjoy the journey to my office in the Mathematical Sciences Building on the campus of Seoul National University, SNU – the blossoming cherry trees, for example, and my iced coffee, which I drink on the way, like most Korean students.
Seoul is one of those cities with a soul. It is colorful, dynamic, metropolitan and full of culture: the historical heritage, such as palaces, temples and museums, is spread all over the city. But modern art, colorful concerts along the Han River and open-air libraries also have their place among the silhouettes of the skyscrapers.
Living and working here for several months, I was able to get to know the many faces of Seoul – a mixture of history, art, K-pop, street food, great views and a completely different way of life. Koreans I met are very welcoming and helpful, even if many speak little English outside of university.
© Can Atacan
My doctorate brought me to Seoul. In my project, I am working on random matrices. These are matrices in which some or all of its entries are sampled randomly from a probability distribution. Random matrices can be used to model and analyze complex systems.
In physics, for example, they are used to understand the energy distribution of atoms. In finance, on the other hand, they help to analyse the correlations between different values of financial assets. One crucial property they have is universality: As they become large, the local and global properties of their distribution stays the same. This applies both to small sections and to the entire matrix. In my dissertation, I am investigating In my doctoral thesis, I am working on models of random matrices within statistical physics.
My stay allows me to work intensively as well as to exchange ideas or socialize with my Korean colleagues after a hard day’s work. I really enjoy working exclusively on my doctoral project for six months and discussing it with other mathematicians – without any lectures. What do I miss? Definitely the German bakeries! ’
Research Training Group
Can Atacan and nine other doctoral students from the International Research Training Group 2235 are spending six months as visiting researchers at Seoul National University. The programme, led by mathematician Professor Dr Moritz Kassmann, has been promoting collaboration between professors and doctoral students from Bielefeld and Seoul since 2016. The focus is on the mathematical analysis of problems that exhibit singular characteristics or the influence of chance.
