History

• Jun.-Prof. Dr. Jens M. Schmidt, 10/2020  TU Hamburg
• Prof. Dr. Silvia Vogel, 10/2016
• Prof. Dr. Bernd Marx, 12/2013
• Prof. Dr. Armin Hoffmann, 04/2012    
• Prof. Dr. Dieter Rautenbach, 10/2010 Universität Ulm
• Prof. Dr. Kurt Rosenbaum, 10/2000 Ruhestand
• Prof. Dr. Horst Sachs, 04/1992 Ruhestand, + 04/2016
• Prof. Joachim Steigenberger, 06/1998

In 1894 Eduard Jentzen founded the engineering school "Thüringisches Technikum", which was located in the building still known under the name "Altes Technikum" (today "Curiebau"). The "Neue Technikum" (today "Faradaybau") was later built opposite.

Due to the constantly growing demand for electrical engineers, the Technikum was further enlarged in the course of time, so that on 16.09.1953 the "University of Applied Sciences for Electrical Engineering" was founded under the leadership of the first rector, Prof. Johann Stamm, and in connection with this a "Faculty for Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Basic Technical Sciences" was established. This included an Institute for Mathematics and Mechanics, an Institute for Physics and an Institute for General and Theoretical Electrical Engineering. In the autumn semester of 1956/57, the Institute of Mathematics and Technical Mathematics was separated from the Institute of Technical Mechanics. The new name was then "Institute of Mathematics" until 1968.

Several changes in university policy finally led to the formation of a "Section for Mathematics, Computational Technology and Economic Cybernetics" in 1968 under the direction of Prof. Horst Sachs, which also included all staff involved in mathematics and electronic data processing. A Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences still existed, but their cooperation was mainly in the context of doctoral matters.

With the "Wende" in 1989 the new "Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences" was formed to meet the necessary requirements for the future profiling of the Technical University. The Faculty originally consisted of the Institute of Mathematics and the Institute of Physics. On 04.06.1993 it was admitted to the "Mathematics and Natural Sciences Faculty Association". From 1997 to 2014, the faculty included an additional institution, the Institute of Media and Communication Studies.

The Institute of Mathematics was divided into the following working groups:

in which research was carried out in nine subject areas.

Since 2018, the structure of the Institute of Mathematics has been given by the individual subject areas of the university professors.

The period from 1953 to 1958 was essentially shaped by the personality of the first director of the Institute of Mathematics and Mechanics, Prof. Karl Bögel (1887-1965), who, after his return from the Soviet Union, where he had been conscripted as a scientist after the Second World War, took on the difficult task of building up the institute despite his advanced age.

Initially, the most important task was the basic training of future engineers. There were 15 scientific staff members, who were by and large all of the same age, enthusiastic about mathematics and about working with students. The role model was Prof. Bögel, who created a working atmosphere that no one could ignore due to his human charisma, his management activities based on a humanistic view of life, and his professional example. On January 1, 1955, Prof. Bögel was given emeritus status for reasons of age, but he continued to teach for a number of years. The time after that is characterized by the struggle for the scientific profile of research and the independence of computer technology.