Ever wondered why the square root of π appears in the most unexpected places in Analysis and PDEs?
Once upon a time in the Land of Analysis, there lived a terrifying, seemingly unsolvable Gaussian integral, mocking all who dared challenge it. The mightiest heroes of Partial Differential Equations, Fourier, the masked superhero Laplacian, and even the chaotic gremlin Delta Function, were each defeated by their resepected weak-points.
Just when hope was lost, the wise, ancient sage π ARRIVES, revealing the ultimate “The Trick.” By teaching the mathematicians to “think in two dimensions” and use the geometry of Polar Coordinates, π unlocked the power of the circle. The battlefield rotated, the monster collapsed, and the secret weapon was revealed… it was circles all along! Happy Pi Day!
We are delighted to celebrate the successful PhD defense of Santiago, who presented his dissertation on the topic:
Pseudo-differential operators and spectral multipliers on non-Euclidean settings
Academic Achievement
Throughout these years, Santiago has demonstrated an outstanding level of dedication to his research, characterized by profound scientific curiosity and notable perseverance. His work has been published in prestigious journals, including the Journal of the London Mathematical Society and the Comptes Rendus de l’Académie des Sciences (Paris), reflecting the high quality and impact of his contributions to the field.
Santiago has contributed to the Banach Space and Banach Algebra course over the past three years by leading exercise sessions and assisting students in developing a deeper understanding of the material through carefully prepared problems and practical applications.
We wish Santiago every success in his future academic endeavors. May his mathematical journey be marked by impactful discoveries, fruitful collaborations, and continued contributions to the advancement of our field.
We are pleased to share highlights from a recent meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Rector of Ghent University, focused on strengthening academic ties and advancing joint research activities between Kazakhstan and Ghent University.
Roman Vassilenko (Ambassador) and Prof. Petra De Sutter (Rector)
During the meeting, Prof. Michael Ruzhansky gave a brief presentation outlining our ongoing and planned collaboration in analysis and partial differential equations, emphasizing the scientific scope of the partnership and its potential for long-term impact. The discussion also covered concrete pathways for deeper cooperation, including research visits, joint events, and opportunities for early-career researchers.
After 18 wonderful months in our research group, we are saying farewell to Arshyn as he begins his next chapter.
Arshyn, thank you for the dedication, the ideas, and the steady, positive energy you brought into our research center.
In these 18 months you were remarkably productive: seven preprints took shape during your stay, and you also won a research grant in Kazakhstan. That kind of focus is rare—and it lifted the pace of the whole group. Your work, and the way you shared it, made a clear difference.
As you move on, we wish you good luck and continued success. We hope you keep this momentum, find new problems worth your attention, and keep building strong collaborations around you.
We are pleased to announce a workshop on Fractional Partial Differential Equations and Related Topics, jointly organized by the Ghent Analysis & PDE Center and the FracDiff Research Group at Sultan Qaboos University.
The workshop aims to bring together researchers and practitioners to discuss recent developments, theoretical advances, and applications in fractional PDEs and related areas.
Workshop Chair: Dr. Sebti Kerbal, Leader of the FracDiff Research Group, Department of Mathematics, Sultan Qaboos University
Date: February 10, 2026
Venue: Department Resource Room 0135, Department of Mathematics, Sultan Qaboos University
Speakers
Professor Michael Ruzhansky (Ghent University, Belgium)
Professor Erkinjon Karimov (Ghent University, Belgium)
Dr. Nasir Hanifa (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman)
Dr. Mariam Al-Maskari (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman)
Schedule
14:00 – 15:00 | Professor Michael Ruzhansky “Fujita exponent for heat equations for groups and sums of squares”
15:00 – 15:30 | Professor Erkinjon Karimov “Green’s Function and Solution Representation for a Boundary Value Problem Involving the Prabhakar Fractional Derivative”
15:30 – 16:00 | Coffee Break
16:00 – 16:30 | Dr. Haniffa Mohamed Nasir. “A(0) and A(\pi/2) stabilities of fractional LMMs for fractional IVPs and applications“
16:30 – 17:00 | Dr. Mariam Al-Maskari.“Fractional Cahn-Hilliard equations: Analysis, Stochastic effects, and Numerical Perspectives“
Over the past years, our research centre has maintained strong and sustained collaborations with mathematicians and academic institutions across Africa. These activities reflect our collective commitment to supporting mathematical research, advanced training, and international cooperation, particularly in regions where access to high-quality supervision remains limited.
Our engagement began several years ago with visits to the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Ghana, where members of our centre contributed to graduate-level teaching through lecture courses for MSc and PhD students. Further activities included intensive lecture courses in Burkina Faso, supported by the Volkswagen Stiftung (Germany), carried out under challenging circumstances. Despite such difficulties, our group has continued to visit and collaborate with multiple African countries, focusing on capacity building and student support.
Some of these early activities are documented in a research volume edited by members of our group together with international collaborators:
In Ghana, our centre has developed lasting connections with the University of Ghana and the University of Cape Coast. Members of our group have visited both institutions multiple times, delivering advanced lectures and supporting MSc-level training.
Through a Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY) grant, Linda Botchway began her PhD at the University of Ghana in 2020. She had previously completed her MSc at AIMS Ghana under supervision linked to our centre, and her PhD work has been supervised within our research network:
After a delay due to maternity leave, her PhD thesis has now been submitted, and the defence is expected to take place soon.
Our collaboration with the University of Addis Ababa has also included PhD supervision and mentoring, sometimes outside formal joint PhD agreements. One such collaboration involved Atile Nega, whose PhD thesis was ready for submission when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Tragically, he passed away shortly before his public defence could be held online.
Many of the students mentioned above were supervised without formal joint-degree frameworks. These activities represent a sustained investment of time and effort by our centre, driven by the recognition that many exceptionally talented students in developing countries face structural barriers to adequate supervision. In several instances, students travelled for days to attend advanced mathematics lectures delivered by members of our group.
In addition to research supervision and teaching, Prof Michael Ruzhansky, for several years, served on the jury of the IBNI Prize for Africa, together with colleagues from France, contributing to the recognition of outstanding mathematical research on the African continent: https://www.idpoisson.fr/prix-ibni/
Overall, these activities demonstrate our centre’s long-standing commitment to fostering mathematical excellence, international collaboration, and equitable access to advanced mathematical training in Africa.
We are delighted to congratulate Dr. Vishvesh Kumar on his new position at Department of Mathematical Sciences at IIT BHU Varanasi as an Assistant Professor. This is a wonderful milestone in his academic career, and a moment of pride for all of us at the Ghent Analysis & PDE Center.
Since joining our group as a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University, Dr. Kumar has been an active and inspiring member of our community. Working within the Department of Mathematics: Analysis, Logic and Discrete Mathematics and the Ghent Analysis & PDE Center headed by Prof. Michael Ruzhansky, he has contributed significantly to our core areas of research.
Research contributions in our group
Dr. Kumar’s research lies at the intersection of abstract harmonic analysis, pseudo-differential operators, geometric analysis, and partial differential equations on Lie groups.
During his time in Ghent, he has:
Co-authored numerous papers on nonlocal and subelliptic problems on stratified Lie groups, including work on Brezis–Nirenberg type problems, critical equations, and fractional Sobolev-type inequalities.
Made substantial contributions to the theory of damped and fractional wave equations on graded and stratified Lie groups, including results for higher order hypoelliptic equations with data in negative order Sobolev spaces.
Advanced functional inequalities and harmonic analysis on symmetric spaces and hypergroups, with applications to Fourier multipliers, Strichartz estimates, and related analytic inequalities.
His work has appeared, or is forthcoming, in several respected international journals such as Journal of Evolution Equations, Mathematische Annalen, Journal of Geometric Analysis, Israel Journal of Mathematics, and others, reflecting both the depth and breadth of his contribution to our field.
A valued colleague
On a personal level, Vishvesh has been a generous collaborator and a supportive colleague. His willingness to discuss ideas, share expertise, and encourage younger researchers and visitors has left a strong and positive impression in our group. Many of us have benefited from his clarity of thought, his calm problem-solving approach, and his enthusiasm for mathematics.
Looking ahead
While we will miss having him at the Ghent Analysis & PDE Center, we are equally excited to see him take this next step as an Assistant Professor at IIT BHU Varanasi. We are confident that he will continue to build a vibrant research program, inspire students, and develop new collaborations that will further strengthen the links between our institutions.
We are delighted to celebrate the successful PhD defense of Junqing Huang, who presented his dissertation on the topic:
“Variational Modeling and (Semi)-sparsity Generalizations for Image Analysis and Processing: Theory, Optimization and Applications“
Academic Achievement
Throughout these years, Junqing has shown exceptional commitment to his research, combining deep scientific curiosity with remarkable perseverance.
On a Personal Note
Beyond his academic excellence, Junqing has always brought warmth and positivity to our group. He is genuinely one of the kindest people you will meet — always smiling, always supportive.
Thanks to him, we now have beautiful group logos in multiple versions, and every new member’s photo appears in our cap thanks to his creativity and careful work.
Congratulations once again, Junqing! We are grateful for everything you contributed to our group and wish you the very best in the next chapter of your career.
At the 15th ISAAC Congress in Astana, Prof. Michael Ruzhansky delivered a public lecture titled:
Analysis on Groups and Related Topics Collaboration with Kazakhstan.
Prof. Ruzhansky shared the story of a remarkable 15-year journey (2010–2025) of academic collaboration with Kazakhstan. Starting from his first lectures at KazNU in 2010, this partnership has grown to include joint research, PhD supervision, and postdoctoral mentorship for many young Kazakhstani scholars.
The collaborations have produced significant results in:
Many of these works have been published in leading journals and collected in influential monographs, including Hardy Inequalities on Homogeneous Groups and Spectral Geometry of Partial Differential Operators.
This talk was more than a technical presentation — it was a celebration of friendship, mentorship, and the belief that mathematics knows no borders. The audience left inspired, reminded that sustained collaboration can transform both research landscapes and individual careers.
Here’s to the next 15 years of discovery and cooperation!
Ghent Analysis & PDE Center 