معرفی
Mikaela Iacobelli is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at ETH Zürich. During the 2024-25 academic year, she was a von Neumann Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Previously, she held faculty positions at Durham University and a research fellowship at the University of Cambridge.
Her educational background includes:
- PhD in Mathematics from Sapienza University of Rome and École Polytechnique in Paris (2015)
- Master's degree from Sapienza University of Rome (2012)
- Bachelor's degree from Sapienza University of Rome (2009)
Mikaela's research lies at the interface of analysis, kinetic theory, and statistical mechanics. She studies partial differential equations that model the collective behavior of many-particle systems, with a focus on Vlasov-type plasmas and gravitational dynamics. Her current projects range from quasineutral and singular-limit problems for Vlasov-type systems to quantization of measures, ultrafast diffusion, and gradient-flow structures that link microscopic particle models to macroscopic fluid descriptions. She makes extensive use of PDEs techniques, optimal transport, probability, calculus of variations, and Riemannian geometry in her work.
Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on Vlasov-type equations, particularly examining quasineutral limits, stability properties, and connections to other physical systems like Euler equations and magnetohydrodynamics. She has made significant contributions to understanding Landau damping, quantization problems on manifolds, and the mathematical foundations of plasma physics.
Her notable scientific awards include:
- SNSF Starting Grant (Swiss ERC) Challenges and Breakthroughs in the Mathematics of Plasmas (2025-2030)
- von Neumann Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (2024-2025)
- Invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematical Physics (2021)
- CO-PI of the Germaine de Staël Funding Program for French-Swiss cooperation (2021-2023)
- L'Oréal prize for Women in Science (2015)
Mikaela actively mentors postdocs, PhD, Master's, and Bachelor's students. Her current mentees include postdocs Dennis Chemnitz, Rishabh Gvalani, Stefano Rossi, and Simon Becker, as well as PhD students Thérèse Moerschell, Ata Deniz Aydin, and Antoine Gagnebin. She has served as PI for the Starting Research Grant from the University of Rome Sapienza and is currently the PI for the SNSF Starting Grant.
She co-organizes several academic seminars including the Zurich Colloquium in Mathematics, the PDE and Mathematical Physics seminar at ETH Zürich and UZH, and the Analysis Seminar. She also serves on various committees including as Chair of the European Mathematical Society Committee for Women in Mathematics.
