Summa cum laude - Congratulations on Successful Dissertation Defense

Maria Alejandra Ramirez successfully defended her dissertation on Classical and Evolutionary Game Theory. She continues her scientific career as a postdoctoral researcher at Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. 

In her thesis: “Classical and Evolutionary Game Theory: Commitments, Cooperation and Chaotic Dynamics” she explores strategic interactions by extending classical and evolutionary game theory frameworks to novel contexts. Collectively, the results of her work demonstrate the importance of commitments, heterogeneity, and noise in shaping strategic outcomes, offering new insights into extortion, cooperation, and the interplay between stochasticity and complexity in game theory.

Alejandra describes her research as follows:
“I study how people, firms, and institutions influence one another when their decisions are interconnected. By combining insights from mathematics, economics, computer science, and biology, I explore how competition can sometimes become unfavourable both at a collective and individual level, how cooperation can arise even in adverse setups, and what makes complex systems stable or unstable over time. My goal is to uncover the fundamental patterns that enable interdependent systems to adapt, cooperate, and thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

Alejandra completed her doctoral degree in mathematics with highest distinction (Summa cum Laude). Her dissertation was supervised by Jürgen Jost (Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences) and Arne Traulsen (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology). She continues her scientific work in Leipzig at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, where she develops theoretical models for the preservation of cultural heritage.

Congratulations, Alejandra! We wish you great success and joy in your future scientific career.