Born in Essen in 1950, Norbert Schappacher established a dual academic career centered on arithmetic geometry and the history of mathematics. He maintains a long-standing association with the University of Strasbourg, where he has held a professorship since 1991, while contributing to the historiography of German mathematics during the era of National Socialism.
Academic Formation
Schappacher completed his secondary schooling at the Burggymnasium in Essen before beginning his university studies in 1969. During his time at the University of Bonn, he attended lectures by Günter Harder and Friedrich Hirzebruch. In 1971, he moved to the University of Göttingen, earning his Vordiplom that year and his Diplom in 1975. His graduate training included a period as an exchange student during the 1974–1975 academic year. In 1978, he obtained his doctorate from Göttingen under the supervision of Martin Kneser, with a thesis focusing on diophantine invariants of singularities over non-Archimedean fields.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Professional Trajectory
Throughout the 1980s, Schappacher held various academic positions across Europe and internationally. He served as an assistant at the Göttingen Mathematical Institute from 1977 to 1986. Between 1979 and 1981, he was based at Paris-Sud University in Orsay, working alongside John H. Coates. He completed his habilitation at Göttingen in 1986, focusing on the periods of Hecke operators. Following a period at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley, he held a Heisenberg fellowship at the Max-Planck-Institut für Mathematik in Bonn from 1987 to 1991.
Research and Editorial Contributions
Schappacher’s research focuses on number theory and arithmetic geometry. His historical inquiries examine the development of mathematics in Germany, specifically investigating figures such as Edmund Landau, Oswald Teichmüller, and Leonhard Euler. He has authored several works, including Periods of Hecke characters, and edited volumes such as The shaping of arithmetic after C. F. Gauss’s Disquisitiones Arithmeticae. Since 2008, he has served on the Euler Committee of the Swiss Academy of Sciences. Additionally, he served as editor-in-chief of the Revue d'histoire des mathématiques from 2009 to 2016.
Fast facts
- Born: 8 October 1950, Essen, Germany
- Doctoral advisor: Martin Kneser
- Primary fields: Number theory, arithmetic geometry, history of mathematics
- Current position: Professor, University of Strasbourg
- Elected: Corresponding member, Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, 2011
- Member: Euler Committee, Swiss Academy of Sciences (since 2008)
- Habilitation: University of Göttingen, 1986
Questions readers ask
Where did Norbert Schappacher complete his doctoral studies?
He earned his doctorate at the University of Göttingen in 1978 under the supervision of Martin Kneser.
What is the primary focus of his historical research?
His work examines the history of mathematics in Germany during the era of National Socialism and the lives of mathematicians including Leonhard Euler, Kurt Heegner, and Bartel Leendert van der Waerden.
Achievements
- Held posts at Technical University of Darmstadt and University of Strasbourg
