Plus at the Heidelberg Laureate Forum 2025
Every year in September the German city of Heidelberg hosts the Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF). It's an amazing experience — around 200 young researchers from around the world meet with the laureates of some of the most important prizes in maths and computer science, as well as a range of other experts from both fields. The mathematics prizes involved are the Abel Prize and the Fields Medal and the computer science prizes are the ACM A.M. Turing Award and the ACM Prize in Computing. The Abacus Medal (formerly the Nevanlinna Prize) straddles the boundary between the fields.
We've been attending the HLF for quite a few years now, and since 2021 we have been producing a vlog on behalf of the HLF in collaboration with the videographer Arthur Bauer. Below you can see the episodes we produced from the 12th HLF which took place last week. You can also watch a short highlight film of this year's HLF as well as the vlogs from 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021 on the HLF YouTube channel.
VLOG@HLF25 Part 1
In the first episode of the Vlog@HLF25 we meet some of the new and returning members of the HLF community. We also speak to the mathematician Pierre Berger about his exhibition Wild Dynamics that lets anyone experience what it feels like to be a mathematician exploring mathematical research. And we ask science journalists Engela Duvenage and Andrei Mihai about the unique community that the HLF has helped create.
VLOG@HLF25 Part 2
In this episode we speak to Tom Crawford, of Tom Rocks Maths fame, about an innovative format he is moderating – the Spark Sessions. Ulrike Tillmann, Director of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, and mathematician Corinna Ulcigrai talk about their Kaleidoscope panel discussion on the multifaceted nature of a research career in maths and computer science. And laureates Leslie Lamport and Vinton Gray Cerf share some good advice and lead us into the karaoke evening!
You can find out more about Corinna Ulcigrai's work on mathematical billiards in the articles Chaos on the billiard table and Playing billiards on doughnuts. You can also watch an interview with Corinna on YouTube.
VLOG@HLF25 Part 3
In this episode of the Vlog@HLF25, come with us as we go from the boat trip down the Neckar river to the Bavarian evening! This year's hot topic panel on the machine learning revolution in mathematics and science has stimulated interesting discussions here at the 12th Heidelberg Laureate Forum. We hear thoughtful perspectives from young researchers, mathematician Yang-Hui He and laureate David Silver. And we meet the wonderful HLFF team!
You can find out more about Yang-Hui He's work on the murmuration conjecture in this article.
VLOG@HLF25 Part 4
In the final episode of the Vlog@HLF25, we speak to Amanda Randles, who attended the first HLF in 2013 and now returns as the first Young Researcher to become a Laureate!
We discuss scientific integrity with Young Researchers and continue the conversation with Alumnus Lonni Besançon, who participated in a panel discussion on the issue. Agnes Szmolenszky, new Executive Director of the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation, tells us about the importance of dialogue, both within mathematics and computer science, as well as between the research community and the rest of society.
We finish by celebrating a wonderful week at Heidelberg Castle!