Thomas Schmidt

Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmidt is a full-time Professor for Geometric PDEs at the University of Hamburg, affiliated with the Department of Mathematics under the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences. He leads the research group on Geometric Partial Differential Equations, focusing on calculus of variations, nonlinear PDEs, geometric measure theory, and regularity theory.

• Education: Diplom in Mathematics (2004, HHU Düsseldorf), Doctor in Mathematics (2006, HHU Düsseldorf), Habilitation in Mathematics (2015, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg).
• Career: Appointed as W2 Professor at University of Hamburg since 2016; postdoctoral positions at SNS Pisa, University of Zurich (2011–2013), and FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (2008–2016).

His research investigates boundary/obstacle problems for BV functions, currents near the Plateau problem, least gradient problems, Mumford-Shah functionals, quasiconvex integrals, and PDEs with degenerate ellipticity. Recent work includes existence theory for linear-growth functionals with signed measures, optimal Hölder exponents in Massari-type theorems, and duality frameworks for BV minimizers. Publications span journals like Advances in Calculus of Variations, Mathematische Annalen, and J. Lond. Math. Soc..
Key trends in his publications involve geometric measure theory, regularity analysis, and convex duality. His group addresses existence/uniqueness of generalized solutions, L^p estimates, and partial regularity. He has collaborated with researchers such as Eleonora Ficola, Jule Helena Schütt, and Christoph Scheven.

For administrative support, contact his team assistant Katrin Kopp at the department office.