The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, first one to get the seal of excellence in research activity at the UB
The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Barcelona, led by Laura Costa, has been awarded the seal of excellence to the research carried out during the period 2012-2016, framed within an evaluation coordinated by the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU). The department of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science has become the first of the UB to obtain this quality accreditation seal.
The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Barcelona, led by Laura Costa, has been awarded the seal of excellence to the research carried out during the period 2012-2016, framed within an evaluation coordinated by the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU). The department of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science has become the first of the UB to obtain this quality accreditation seal.
In an international context where the higher education improvement has to face challenges constantly, the Direction Council of AQU approved -in 2014- the creation of quality seals as a differentiating tool for degrees and institutions that successfully passed evaluation processes.
With this seal of quality, AQU distinguishes the scientific excellence of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, created in 2015 resulting from the process of reorganization of the former Departments of Algebra and Geometry, Applied Mathematics and Analysis, and Probability, Logics and Statistics, which continued with the teaching and research tradition of the UB within its fields of experience.
An international committee of experts in the evaluation process
The evaluation process of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science was carried out by an international committee of experts, formed by the experts Henri Berestycki, from the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS, Paris); Diego Córdoba, from the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (ICMAT, Madrid); Werner Purgathofer, from TU Wien (Vienna); Bernd Sturmfels, from Marx Planck Institute (IMP, Leipzig), and Esteve Arboix, from AQU. This evaluation is based on a methodology that can be applied to all fields of knowledge following the classic model of internal evaluation and including a visit from the external evaluation committee to access all the necessary information.
During this process, the expert committee considered the indicators on productivity, quality and relevance of the research, as well as the vitality and organization skills of the Department. In particular, a significant part of the evaluation was based on descriptive data on the research environment (teaching staff, theses, obtained economic means, etc.), the bibliometric study conducted by lecturer Mireia Ribera, and scientific production (amount of publications, research impact, etc.) in the report by the internal evaluation committee, formed by the lecturers Luis Dieulefait, Núria Fagella, Rosa Maria Miró i Roig, Joaquim Ortega, Jordi Vitrià and Laura Costa.