The International Research Training Group “Geometry and Analysis of Symmetries” (IRTG) is a doctoral education program run by the universities of Paderborn and Metz (France), designed to catalyze the interaction between specialists in diverse fields.  It also aims to bring master students to a level where they can actively participate in this cooperation.   The team brings expertise from unitary representations, symplectic and non-commutative geometry and non-commutative harmonic analysis on the one hand, and homological algebra, microlocal analysis, function spaces and C*-algebras on the other hand.  This type of research requires interdisciplinary cooperation and the use of a variety of tools from other mathematical disciplines, making it a fascinating and fruitful area for further study.

Students are expected to have developed an interest in at least one of the subject areas the IRTG focuses on.  Doctoral students are actively supported in gaining proficiency in other relevant mathematical disciplines through self-study, professor support, further courses, and student interaction.  Students are also actively supported in their research, through frequent informal interaction with professors and an extensive international network of colleagues. Students typically spend half the year in Metz and the other half in Paderborn, thereby profiting from two research groups and two academic cultures.

Research areas of the IRTG are:

The IRTG PhD-programm "Structures with Symmetries" is accepted by the DAAD to be included into the new bi-national PhD-Network (PhD-Net).