Retirement lecture by Professor Christian Berg
Professor Christian Berg delivers his retirement lecture at the Department of Mathematical Sciences, 26 September 2014 under the heading "My mathematical journey". Christian continues as professor emeritus at the Department.
You are invited to a double retirement lecture 26 September in Auditorium 4, HCØ. First Professor Jørn Børling Olsson will talk at 14:15. Then at 15:00 Christian Berg will talk about his “mathematical journey”.
From 15:45 to 17:00 there will be a public reception in the lunch room on the 4th floor of the math building (Building E).
Professor Henrik Laurberg Pedersen says about his colleague:
"Christian has for many years worked with potential theory wich comprises e.g. the study of harmonic functions. In recent years he has focused on orthogonal polynomials. These are briefly explained polynomials with a special geometric structure that allows you to say that some polynomials are perpendicular to others. Closely related to orthogonal polynomials are probability measures and their moments.
Another of Christian's interests is special functions. These are functions that are more advanced than the elementary functions such as the trigonometric functions - and here comes the essential - which typically occur in other areas of mathematics, or for that matter in statistics or physics. In-depth knowledge of these functions is often essential for solving problems in other mathematical disciplines.
Christian has for many years been among the leading researchers in these fields. He has attracted support from the research councils and promoted Denmark internationally - not least with organisation of the major conference on orthogonal polynomials and special functions in 2003, and most recently with an international symposium focusing on complex methods, held in The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters in 2012.
Colleagues and students have for many years had the pleasure to enjoy an inventive, thorough, reliable and friendly colleague, mentor and teacher. "
Professor Christian Berg graduated from Næstved Gymnasium 1963 and studied mathematics at the University of Copenhagen. He became cand.scient. in 1968, lic.scient. (ph.d.) in 1971, and dr. phil. in 1976. Christian received the gold medal of the University of Copenhagen in 1969 for a paper about Potential Theory.
He became assistant professor at University of Copenhagen in 1971, associated professor in 1972 and professor since 1978. Christian had several research visits abroad, in USA, France, Spain, Sweden and Poland.
He became member of The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters 1982, vice-president 1999-2005. Member of The Danish Natural Sciences Research Council 1985-1992. President of the Danish Mathematical Society 1994-98. Member of the editorial board of Journal of Theoretical Probability
(1988-1999) and Expositiones Mathematicae since 1993. Member of the advisory board of Arab Journal of Mathematical Sciences since 1995.
His administrative duties at MATH: Member of the Study Board 1972-74, member of the Board 1977-1984, 1993-1995, chairman 1996-97. Director of the Institute for Mathematical Sciences 1997-2002.
Christian has so far published app. 110 scientific papers in international journals, mainly about potential theory, harmonic analysis and moment problems.
Professor emeritus Christian Berg’s new office is 04.0.16.