Letterio Gatto (on the
left in the picture below) is associate
professor at Politecnico di Torino. His main
fields of interest are algebra and algebraic
geometry especially related with the algebraic
properties of the cohomology of the Grassmann
Varieties and their relationships with
exponential of traces of endomporphisms of the
exterior algebra. He supervised the Ph.D. theses
of Taíse Santiago Mozzato (Brazil),
Antonio Nigro (Italy, now professor
in Brazil), Delara Behzad (Iran) and is
currently supervising the Ph.D. thesis of Sigfried
Amukugo (University of Namibia). He is
also supervising the master thesis of Makeba
Tunya, from the University of Nairobi.
He collected a number of experiences in the
field of scientific cooperation and diplomacy
across Africa and Brazil. From 2020 to 2022, he
secured the LMS‑MARM
grant with the University of Namibia,
organizing NAISSMA
2022, the first NAmibian International
Spring School in MAthematics.
In 2024, he earned the LMS-MARM grant for a
project at the University of Lubumbashi with
Franck Kalala Mutombo. He also served on the
organizing committee of “Old and New Trends in
Mathematical Collaboration between Brazil and
Italy” (2025) and is currently on the Scientific
Committee for the Second Brazil–Italy
Mathematical Joint Meeting, to be celebrated in
Messina on 2026.
He is actually member of UMI (Italian
Mathematical Union), he is Associate Member of
the Commission
for Developing Countries (CDC) of the European
Mathematical Society and since June,
member of The
International Mathematics Master, on the
behalf of which will teach a four week course in
algebra in Algery, in collaboration with
Professor Peter Stevenhagen. He is proudly going
to be the first teacher of the "Luca Attanasio
& Vittorio Iacovacci" Lectures, a yearly
event at UniLu, which has been permanently
established on the occasion of Letterio's
awarding of the MARM-GRANT.
You can contact Letterio at name.surname@polito.it. |
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Franck
Kalala Mutombo (on
the right in the picture below) is
a professor of mathematics at the University
of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of
Congo and a former Academic Director of
AIMS-Senegal. He has held research and
academic positions at the University of
Strathclyde (Scotland), AIMS-South Africa, and
the University of Cape Town. He holds a PhD in
Mathematical Sciences from the University of
Strathclyde, where his doctoral work focused
on modeling complex systems and numerical
methods for PDEs.
His research lies
at the intersection of applied mathematics,
differential geometry, and computational
science, with a particular interest in the
role of network
topology in
long-range interactions. His contributions
span epidemic
modeling on graphs, diffusion
dynamics, object
clustering, differential
geometry of manifolds, finite
element methods, and data-driven
scientific discovery.
In 2022, Professor Kalala Mutombo was a
featured speaker at the Black
Heroes of Mathematics Conference (LMS, ICMS,
IMA, BSHM), where he presented his
work on “High-order numerical
schemes for semi-linear advection-reaction
equations using discontinuous Galerkin and
Rosenbrock-type methods.”
This talk showcased advanced mathematical
modeling techniques essential for addressing
nonlinear PDEs in epidemiology, ecology, and
other applied sciences. The full video of
his talk is available here,
and the official poster for the conference
can be downloaded from ICMS.
Beyond research,
he has played a leading role in mentoring
the next generation of African scientists.
He has supervised several
master’s students across the African
continent, guiding them in topics
ranging from numerical modeling and network
science to machine learning. A detailed
overview of his academic mentorship and
supervision record is available here.
He currently supervises Mulumba
Bidwaya, a PhD candidate working
on numerical methods for partial
differential equations.
In 2024, Franck
Kalala Mutombo earned the LMS–MARM grant for
a project based at the University
of Lubumbashi, in collaboration
with Professor
Letterio Gatto of
the Polytechnic University of Turin,
Italy--reinforcing his role in fostering
international academic cooperation.
Professor Kalala
Mutombo is part of a growing community of
African mathematicians making lasting
contributions
to global mathematics. His inclusion among
the speakers of Black
Heroes of Mathematics reflects
not only his academic stature but also his
role as a scientific
mentor and community builder. His
efforts echo the spirit of pioneers like
David Blackwell and exemplify the
transformative potential of African-led
research and education
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