In Memory of Hông Vân Lê

We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our former colleague and scientist Hông Vân Lê, who passed away on September 2 at the age of 65. We will remember her as an outstanding mathematician and a warm, kind, and deeply valued member of our scientific community.

Hông Vân Lê was closely connected to our institute for many years. From 1999 to 2005, she was a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Jost’s group. She remained a frequent guest at the institute in the years that followed, continuing to collaborate with colleagues on joint research projects. Among these was a book project with Nihat Ay, Jürgen Jost, and Lorenz Schwachhöfer.

Since 2006, Hông Vân Lê had been a Senior Research Scientist at the Institute of Mathematics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. In 2009, she successfully defended her habilitation thesis at Silesian University in Opava.

Her research spanned several areas of geometry and analysis, with a particular focus on differential geometry, symplectic geometry, and global analysis. She made important contributions to topics including the classification of differential forms, the geometry of calibrations, and Riemannian manifolds. In recent years, she also explored applications of differential and hyperbolic geometry to machine learning and artificial intelligence, reflecting her curiosity and openness to new mathematical ideas and emerging fields.

Beyond her scientific achievements, we will remember Hông Vân Lê for her warmth and collegiality.

We extend our deepest sympathy to her family, friends, and colleagues. We will remember her with gratitude and affection.