Marita Thomas

Marita Thomas is a Professor (W2) for Applied Analysis at Freie Universität Berlin since August 2022 and Head of the Weierstrass group 'Bulk-Interface Processes' at the Weierstrass Institute since April 2017. She holds a PhD in Mathematics from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2010) and a Diplom in Mathematics (with application to chemistry) from the University of Stuttgart (2006). Her research focuses on material modeling, damage and fracture mechanics, variational methods, and the coupling of optoelectronics with thermomechanics. She has led numerous projects including those within CRC 1114 'Scaling Cascades in Complex Systems' and the Berlin Mathematics Research Center MATH+.

• Education: PhD in Mathematics (Humboldt-Universität, 2010); Diplom in Mathematics (University of Stuttgart, 2006)
• Key Projects: Materials with discontinuities on multiple scales, Interface dynamics bridging stochastic and hydrodynamic descriptions, Dynamics of rock dehydration

Her research integrates analytical approaches with numerical simulations, addressing challenges in continuum mechanics, phase-field fracture, and optoelectronic device optimization. She has organized international workshops and minisymposia, including the Thematic Einstein Semester on Energy-based Mathematical Methods.