Il corpo faccia quello che vuole. Io non sono il corpo. Io sono la mente.
Rita Levi Montalcini
It is with deep sorrow and profound emotion that we share the news of the passing of our esteemed colleague, Valeria Ruggiero, Coordinator of the PhD Program in Mathematics.
Full Professor at the University of Ferrara, Valeria was renowned for her research in advanced numerical methods for nonlinear optimization, parallel computing, and related applications. Her work made significant contributions to variational methods, stochastic algorithms, and scientific software, as reflected in numerous publications and leadership initiatives.
She was an incredibly active member of the scientific community, playing a crucial role in the PhD Program in Mathematics, run jointly by the Universities of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio Emilia, and Parma. Valeria was instrumental not only in the founding of the program, strongly supporting the idea of reactivating the PhD program in Mathematics, but also in its management and growth in recent years.
For those of us who had the privilege to work alongside her, she will forever remain a shining example of tireless dedication and an extraordinary sense of duty. We believe that all who knew her will want to join us in expressing deep gratitude for everything Valeria gave, generously and without reservation, to our doctoral community.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family and to all who were closest to her.
The Academic Community of the PhD Program in Mathematics
See also: https://www.unife.it/it/notizie/2025/persone/cordoglio-professoressa-valeria-ruggiero (Italian only)