Roland Zdeněk Bulirsch (10 November 1932 – 21 September 2022) was a German mathematician specialising in

numerical analysis Numerical analysis is the study of algorithms that use numerical approximation (as opposed to symbolic manipulations) for the problems of mathematical analysis (as distinguished from discrete mathematics). It is the study of numerical methods th ...

. He studied and taught at the

Technical University of Munich The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; german: Technische Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied and natural sciences. Establis ...

, and taught internationally as visiting professor. He was co-author of the reference book ''Introduction to Numerical Analysis'', and president of the edition of the works by Johannes Kepler. He received honorary doctorates from international universities, and several awards.

Life and career

Bulirsch was born in Liberec (Reichenberg) on 10 November 1932. He had to leave Czechoslovakia in 1946. In 1947, he became an apprentice as a machinist with

Siemens-Schuckert Siemens-Schuckert (or Siemens-Schuckertwerke) was a German electrical engineering company headquartered in Berlin, Erlangen and Nuremberg that was incorporated into the Siemens AG in 1966. Siemens Schuckert was founded in 1903 when Siemens & Ha ...

in Nuremberg, completing in 1951. He achieved the

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen yea ...

Nördlingen Nördlingen (; Swabian: ''Nearle'' or ''Nearleng'') is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, with a population of approximately 20,674. It is located approximately east of Stuttgart, and northwest of Munich. It was bu ...

in 1954, and then studied mathematics and physics at the

to 1959, earning his Ph.D. there in 1961, supervised by Klaus Samelson, and his habilitation in mathematics in 1965. He taught as associated professor at the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Insti ...

, from 1967 to 1969, and as professor of

applied mathematics Applied mathematics is the application of mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a combination of mathemat ...

at the

University of Cologne The University of Cologne (german: Universität zu Köln) is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in the year 1388 and is one of the most prestigious and research intensive universities in Germany. It was the sixth university to ...

from 1969. He joined the faculty in Munich in 1973. He was elected a member of the

Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities The Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (german: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften) is an independent public institution, located in Munich. It appoints scholars whose research has contributed considerably to the increase of knowled ...

in 1991. In 1998 he became president of the edition of the works by Johannes Kepler. He was emerited in 2001. Bulirsch specialised in

. He is the author (with Josef Stoer) of ''Introduction to Numerical Analysis'', a standard reference for the theory of

numerical methods Numerical analysis is the study of algorithms that use numerical approximation (as opposed to symbolic manipulations) for the problems of mathematical analysis (as distinguished from discrete mathematics). It is the study of numerical methods th ...

, and has also authored numerous other books and articles. The book ''From Nano to Space: Applied Mathematics Inspired by Roland Bulirsch'' is a tribute to his work. The Bulirsch–Stoer algorithm is named after him and Stoer. Bulirsch received honorary doctorates from the

University of Hamburg The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vor ...

, the Techical University of Liberec, the National Technical University of Athens and the

University of Viên Toán Hoc A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which rou ...

in Hanoi. He was awarded a medal from the Union of Czech Mathematicians and Physicists, and a medal from the

Charles University ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , underg ...

in Prague. In 1998, he received the

Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art The Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art (german: Bayerischer Maximiliansorden für Wissenschaft und Kunst, links=no) was first established on 28 November 1853 by King Maximilian II von Bayern. It is awarded to acknowledge and reward exc ...

, and the following year the Liebig-Denkmünze, the highest award of the Heimatkreis Reichenberg. He was elected to the the same year. In 2012, he received the Großer Sudetendeutscher Kulturpreis.

Personal life

Bulirsch and his wife Waltraut had two daughters. She died in 2020. Bulirsch died in

Gauting Gauting is a municipality in the district of Starnberg, in Bavaria, Germany with a population of approximately 20,000. It is situated on the river Würm, southwest of Munich and is a part of the Munich metropolitan area. Geography Stockdor ...

on 21 September 2022 at age 89.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bulirsch, Roland 1932 births 2022 deaths 20th-century German mathematicians Technical University of Munich alumni Technical University of Munich faculty University of Cologne faculty Members of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts Sudeten German people Scientists from Liberec