22/08/2026
Two UPB Mathematicians, Graduate Faculty featured in IMU-CDC video during the ICM 2026
Two mathematicians and graduate faculty under the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science (DMCS), Prof. Paul Samuel Ignacio and Prof. Juancho Collera, were featured in a video shown during the closing ceremony of the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM 2026) held in Philadelphia, USA earlier this month. Both were chosen by the International Mathematical Union-Commision for Developing Countries (IMU-CDC), the committee within the International Mathematical Union that supports initiatives to improve Mathematics in the developing world. These initiatives include the Abel Visiting Scholar (AVS) program and the Graduate Research Assistantships in Developing Countries (GRAID), among others.
In 2016, Prof. Collera received an AVS grant from the Niels Henrik Abel Board in Norway, and visited the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg in Fall 2016 for a research work on the dynamics of a stage-structured intraguild predation model. Meanwhile, Prof. Ignacio as the principal investigator of his research group on Topological Data Analysis was awarded a GRAID grant in 2024 to fund the graduate research assistantship of Jhunas Paul T. Viernes, a Ph.D. Mathematics student at the DMCS.
In the IMU-CDC video shown during the closing ceremony of the IMU 2026, Prof. Ignacio said that he believes that “... mathematical talent is distributed well, but the opportunities are not.” emphasizing the need for more support for Mathematics especially in the developing world. In the same video, Prof. Collera reiterated what a supporting and nurturing environment can do and how it shapes the mathematical community, saying “It inspired me to do more, and then give back more”.
The DMCS offers graduate programs in Mathematics both in the master's and doctoral levels. Call for applications are made regularly and scholarships are available through the DOST-ASTHRDP and the CHED-SIKAP. Here is their official page: facebook.com/upbdmcs.
The IMU-CDC offers grants for graduate students, faculty members and institutions including grants for graduate research assistantship and fellowship, research visits, and organizing conferences. Interested individuals may check out their website at mathunion.org/cdc.
