Roland Bulirsch

Roland Zdeněk Bulirsch (10 November 1932 – 21 September 2022) was a German mathematician specialising in numerical analysis. He studied and taught at the Technical University of Munich, and taught internationally as visiting professor. He was co-author of the reference book Introduction to Numerical Analysis, and president of the edition of the works by Johannes Kepler. He received honorary doctorates from international universities, and several awards.

Life and career Bulirsch was born in Liberec (Reichenberg) on 10 November 1932. He had to leave Czechoslovakia in 1946. In 1947, he became an apprentice as a machinist with Siemens-Schuckert in Nuremberg, completing in 1951. He achieved the Abitur in Nördlingen in 1954, earning his Ph.D. there in 1961, supervised by Klaus Samelson, and his habilitation in mathematics in 1965. He is the author (with Josef Stoer) of Introduction to Numerical Analysis, a standard reference for the theory of numerical methods, and has also authored numerous other books and articles. The book From Nano to Space: Applied Mathematics Inspired by Roland Bulirsch is a tribute to his work.

Personal life Bulirsch and his wife Waltraut had two daughters. She died in 2020.

Bulirsch died in Gauting on 21 September 2022 at age 89.