Professor with a passion for mathematical discoveries
Even as a child, he was fascinated by mathematics. Despite this, Aurélio Menegon did not dare to pursue his passion at first, but devoted his university studies to engineering. But he changed careers and on October 3, Aurélio will give his inaugural lecture as a mathematics professor.
"I've always been fascinated by mathematics and that there is so much left to discover. During my university studies, it became so clear that it was mathematics I wanted to devote myself to, so I made a great effort and changed gear," says Aurélio Menegon.
He graduated in mathematics from the University of Sao Paolo in his native Brazil and was then invited by a prominent mathematics professor to do his doctoral studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), in Mexico City. After that, Aurelio got a postdoc position at Sao Paolo University where he also became an assistant professor. But there was a desire to work in Europe, so when an opportunity to work and teach at Mid Sweden University opened up in 2022, the choice was easy.
The abstract fascinates
"It's a big change to move from a big city like Sao Paolo to Sundsvall. But I come from a small town in Brazil and Sundsvall is a good city to live in," says Aurélio.
The passion for mathematics is strong. His research focuses on singularity theory, which focuses on using mathematical formulas to explore what happens when geometric shapes bend or fold in unusual ways, so that it is possible to predict how more complex geometric shapes behave. The fact that the field of research is abstract and that there is so much left to discover is what makes it so interesting.
"It's very interesting to explore the abstract. You become like an explorer who moves in an unexplored area. You need to have your own original idea to start from because the obvious has already been mapped out," Aurélio explains.
Mathematics is a language
At the same time, he points out that mathematics should not be seen as something complicated and difficult. Think of mathematics as a language you can learn to describe phenomena and contexts, is his admonition.
"In my inaugural lecture, I want to describe mathematics and motivate a broader understanding of what pure mathematics is about and relate it to my research. We are not talking about numbers, but about geometry and a higher perception of space," says Aurélio.
Exploring the abstract that he and his research colleagues do is also the first step on a journey towards explanations and applications that are used in other research fields and areas.
"We explore and describe discoveries that those who conduct research in applied mathematics can then take further and develop. From there, you can take the step towards insights and applications we can use in, for example, engineering or robotics," says Aurélio.