Simon Praetorius

Dr. Simon Praetorius is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Scientific Computing within the Faculty of Mathematics at Dresden University of Technology. He has been working at the university since completing his PhD in 2015 and currently serves as Principal Investigator in the DFG research unit "Vector- and Tensor-Valued Surface PDEs" (2023-2026) and Deputy equal opportunities officer of the faculty of mathematics since 2022.

His educational background includes:

• Diploma in Mathematics (Scientific Computing) from Dresden University of Technology (2005-2011), Grade: 1.3
• Doctoral program in Mathematics at Dresden University of Technology (2011-2015), PhD title: "Efficient Solvers for the Phase-Field Crystal Equation" (summa cum laude)

Dr. Praetorius' research focuses on Computational Mathematics and Numerical Analysis, with particular expertise in Phase-Field Modeling, Discrete Exterior Calculus, and Fluid Dynamics. His work spans various applications including the modeling of colloidal suspensions, active matter, and the evolution of surface vector and tensor fields. He has made significant contributions to the development of numerical methods for solving complex partial differential equations, particularly those related to phase-field crystal models and fluid-structure interactions.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on computational approaches to fluid dynamics and materials science, with particular attention to particle-fluid interactions in porous media and the development of adaptive finite element methods. His work often combines theoretical analysis with practical implementation, as evidenced by his contributions to the finite-element framework AMDiS.

Dr. Praetorius has received notable recognition for his work:

• Teaching award of the faculty of mathematics in the category "Nachwuchsvorlesung" (2020)
• Georg-Helm-Preis for excellent doctoral thesis (2016)

In addition to his research, Dr. Praetorius is actively involved in teaching, particularly in scientific programming with C++ and high-performance computing. He has supervised student projects and thesis topics, including work on collective behavior of active Brownian particles. His current research projects include the development of numerical schemes for vector and tensor fields on surfaces and the software development of finite-element code through the AMDiS framework.

Dr. Praetorius is a key member of research teams working on vector- and tensor-valued surface PDEs and has participated in numerous conferences and workshops related to computational mathematics and numerical methods.