A conversation with Volker Mehrmann

Volker Mehrmann is a complete mathematician excelling in all areas: research, teaching, knowledge transfer, and management. He is a specialist in numerical linear algebra, algebraic-differential equations, and control theory, and he enjoys conducting research motivated by real-world problems and developing fundamental mathematics that has a significant impact on science and technology. With a striking personality, Mehrmann leaves a remarkable legacy as former president of GAMM (International Association for Applied Mathematics and Mechanics), MATHEON (Mathematical Research Center for Key Technologies), ECMath (Einstein Center for Mathematics in Berlin), and EMS (European Mathematical Society). He is attentive to how mathematics is communicated to fellow mathematicians and to the general public, and he takes care of the working environment of his students. The three of us (Sílvia Barbeiro, Ana Isabel Mendes and Martin Raussen) held a videoconference meeting with Volker Mehrmann last October. We listened eagerly to his answers to all our questions. At the end, we discovered his secret: mathematics brings happiness.