Sara Merino-Aceituno is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Vienna. Previously, she was a lecturer at the University of Sussex in UK, and held a post-doc position at Imperial College London. She completed her PhD in Mathematics in 2015 at the University of Cambridge. Before this, she studied mathematics at the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Spain (2009), and computer science and applied mathematics at INP Grenoble (2010).

Sara’s research combines (1) applications of kinetic theory to the study of emergent phenomena in biology, medicine, and social sciences, (2) collaborations with groups of experimentalists by providing mathematical models and simulations.

Sara applies tools coming from partial differential equations, probability, and numerical analysis to investigate and model natural phenomena. She specialises in interacting particle systems and kinetic theory. Kinetic theory provides powerful tools to study how macroscopic phenomena (observable patterns and dynamics) emerge from the underlying microscopic dynamics. Classical examples of emergent phenomena are collective motion, opinion dynamics, network formation like capillary formation, pedestrian dynamics, and cell tissue development.

Sara enjoys mentoring and doing outreach. She started recently a YouTube Channel called “Maths like us” and writes a blog “Just out curiosity” where, among various topics, she writes about research, scientific writing, and coaching.