Dr. Bernd Sturmfels

Professor

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Biography

Bernd Sturmfels received doctoral degrees in 1987 from the University of Washington and the Technical University of Darmstadt, and an honorary doctorate in 2015 from Goethe University Frankfurt. His postdoctoral studies took place in Minneapolis and Linz, and he taught at Cornell University before joining UC Berkeley in 1995 as a Professor of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science. Sturmfels was the director of the Max-Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences in Leipzig from 2017 and became an Honorary Professor at the Technical University of Berlin and the University of Leipzig in 2018. He has received numerous awards, including the David and Lucile Packard Fellowship, the Clay Senior Scholarship, and the Humboldt Senior Research Prize. He is a fellow of the American Mathematical Society and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, as well as a member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences. Sturmfels has mentored over 50 doctoral students and numerous postdocs, authored ten books and over 250 research articles, and has made significant contributions to the fields of combinatorics, commutative algebra, and algebraic geometry, with applications in statistics, optimization, and computational biology.

Research Interests

Experience

Professor

1995-01-01 — Present

UC Berkeley • Berkeley, CA

Professor of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science.

Director

2017-01-01 — Present

Max-Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences • Leipzig, Germany

Director of the institute.

Honorary Professor

2018-01-01 — Present

Technical University of Berlin and University of Leipzig • Berlin and Leipzig, Germany

Honorary Professor at both institutions.

Awards

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David and Lucile Packard Fellowship

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Clay Senior Scholarship

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Humboldt Senior Research Prize

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SIAM von Neumann Lecturership

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Sarlo Distinguished Mentoring Award

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George David Birkhoff Prize in Applied Mathematics

Requirements for University of California, Berkeley

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
GRE Subject
Overall Score
Required:500
Overall
Required:500
TOEFL
Total
Required:90
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent Preparation comparable to undergraduate major at Berkeley in Mathematics or Applied Mathematics 2 full years lower-division work (Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Multivariable Calculus) 8 one-semester upper-division courses (Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, Abstract Algebra, Linear Algebra)
Application Checklist
  • Graduate Application
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Personal History Statement
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • Unofficial Transcripts
  • C.V./Resume
  • Course and Textbook List
Specialization Notes

The Mathematics Subject GRE is required for the Fall 2026 admissions cycle. General GRE is optional.