Public evening lecture by Dr Malte Gerhold (Greifswald/Saarland University)

Why can a hollow cube with rigid sides not be deformed, but a square with rigid edges can? Cauchy's classical theorem on the rigidity of convex polyhedra answers this question and at the same time provides the plastic starting point for a profound mathematical principle: Partial information can completely determine an object. From there, the lecture will draw a line from convexity theory to non-commutative analysis - namely to the question of how concepts such as rigidity and convexity can be further developed in "spaces without points".

Malte Gerhold is a mathematician with a research focus on functional analysis, operator algebras and non-commutative probability theory. After completing his studies and doctorate at the University of Greifswald, he spent research periods as an ERCIM Fellow (European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics) at NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) Trondheim, the Technion in Haifa and Saarland University, among others. In the academic year 2025/26, Malte Gerhold is a Junior Fellow at the Alfried Krupp Wissenschaftskolleg Greifswald.

Moderation: Professor Dr Ines Kath