Summer School, September 20 - 25, 2026

Applied Mathematics
& Scientific Computing

Date: September 20 - 25, 2026

Venue: Nepal Technology Innovation Center, Kathmandu University Dhulikhel, Nepal

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About the school

Applied Mathematics & Scientific Computing

The Summer school on Applied Mathematics and Scientific Computing brings together students and early-career researchers from Nepal and Germany for an intensive week of lectures and hands-on training. Jointly organized by Kathmandu University and the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR) of Heidelberg University, the school introduces participants to the mathematical modeling of real-world processes and to the numerical methods and computational tools used to simulate them.

The programme is build around two lecture series delivered by faculty from Heidelberg University, complemented by an opening ceremony and supporting sessions organized by Kathmandu University. Together, the two institutions aim to strengthen academic exchange between Nepal and Germany and to build lasting capacity in applied mathematics and scientific computing in the region.

Co-organizer

Kathmandu University, Nepal

Kathmandu University (KU) is an autonomous, not-for-profit, self-funding public institution established by an Act of Parliament in December 1991. It is an institution of higher learning dedicated to maintaining the standard of academic excellence in various classical and professional disciplines. The mission statement of the University is “to provide quality education for leadership”. The vision is “to become a world-class university devoted to bringing knowledge and technology to the service of mankind”. The University aspires to serve the nation by fulfilling the needs of the society through the motto of taking knowledge and skills “from the campus to the community.”

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Co-organizer

Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), Heidelberg University, Germany

The Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR) is a scientific research institute of the Heidelberg University, Germany. It centralizes scientific activity and promotes research and work in scientific computing. Founded in 1987 by the Heidelberg University and the state of Baden-Württemberg, IWR participates in joint project and cooperations with industry in Germany as well as abroad. As a research institute with about 380 staff, IWR is considered one of the world's largest research centers for scientific computing.

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Lecture series

Each day features two 90-minutes lectures delivered by the Heidelberg faculty

Lecture Series 1

Numerical Solution of Partial Differential Equations

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Peter Bastian (IWR, Heidelberg University)

The fundamntal physical laws of mass, momentum and energy conservation for continuous materials can be expressed in the form of practical differential equations, with many applications such as fluid of solid mechanics. This course presents and introduction to modeling with partial differential equations and their numerical solution. To keep the presentation accessible, we focus on the flow of fluid in a porous medium and on heat transport. These equations are then discretized with finite element and finite colume methods, leading to large sparse systems of linear equations for which we consider basic iterative solution methods.
Example 1: Pumping of water from a groundwater well
Example 2: Transport of a contaminant
Example 3: The flow of surface water.

Lecture Series 2

Modelling and Parameter Estimation for ODEs

Lecturer: Dr. Michael J. Winckler (IWR, Heidelberg University)

Ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are a central model in mathematics to represent the development of a time-dependent process. General models describe application classes such as mechanical systems, systems biology, or infectious disease. In the course we will investigate how different aspects of such models are included in the mathematical representation of the process, and how unknown system parameters can be estimated from sensor data of real-world instances. A key aspect of the course lies in the numerical representation of solution methods for the models as well as for the inverse problms stemming from parameter estimation.
Example 1: chemical reaction processes in stirred chemo-reactors are modelled using ODEs. Initial concentrations and heating/cooling are parameters influencing the final production of desired substances.
Example 2: Modeling of disease spreading with ODEs was a central tool to understand the influence of distancing and vaccination on COVID cases.

Programme Outline

Tentative Schedule

Sessions and leads are suject to change as the schedule and availability of facilitators are finalized.

Day Time Session Lead
Sunday, 20 SeptemberDay TimeArrival of the Heidelberg Delegation at Kathmandu UniversityOrganizing Team
Monday, 21 September09:30 - 10:30Opening Ceremony & signing of the MoUOrganizing Team
Monday, 21 September10:30 - 10:45Tea Break
Monday, 21 September10:45 - 12:15Lecture Series A: Numerical Solution of PDEsProf. Bastian
Monday, 21 September12:30 - 14:00Lunch Break
Monday, 21 September14:00 - 15:30Lecture Series B: Modelling & Parameter Estimation for ODEsDr. Winckler
Tuesday, 22 September09:30 - 11:00Lecture Series A: Numerical Solution of PDEsProf. Bastian
Tuesday, 22 September11:00 - 11:15Tea Break
Tuesday, 22 September11:15 - 12:45Lecture Series B: Modelling & Parameter Estimation for ODEsDr. Winckler
Tuesday, 22 September12:45 - 14:00Lunch Break
Tuesday, 22 September14:00 - 15:00An Introductory Guide to Mathematical Modeling: Five-Step Modeling ApproachProf. Gurung
Tuesday, 22 September15:00 - 16:00From Physical Laws to Computation: A Computational Journey Through PDE Models.Mr. Narayan Sapkota
Wednesday, 23 September09:30 - 11:00Lecture Series A: Numerical Solution of PDEsProf. Bastian
Wednesday, 23 September11:00 - 11:15Tea Break
Wednesday, 23 September11:15 - 12:45Lecture Series B: Modelling & Parameter Estimation for ODEsDr. Winckler
Wednesday, 23 September12:45 - 14:00Lunch Break
Wednesday, 23 September14:00 - 16:00Social Event: Hiking around DhulikhelRoute: TBD
Thursday, 24 September09:30 - 11:00Lecture Series A: Numerical Solution of PDEsProf. Bastian
Thursday, 24 September11:00 - 11:15Tea Break
Thursday, 24 September11:15 - 12:45Lecture Series B: Modelling & Parameter Estimation for ODEsDr. Winckler
Thursday, 24 September12:45 - 14:00Lunch Break
Thursday, 24 September14:00 - 15:00From ODEs to Epidemics: Modeling Infectious Disease Dynamics with Compartmental ModelsDr. Phaijoo
Friday, 25 September09:30 - 11:00Lecture Series A: Numerical Solution of PDEsProf. Bastian
Friday, 25 September11:00 - 11:15Tea Break
Friday, 25 September11:15 - 12:45Lecture Series B: Modelling & Parameter Estimation for ODEsDr. Winckler
Friday, 25 September12:45 - 14:45Closing Lunch & organizers' feedback meeting

Academic team

Organizers and Speakers

This five days summer school if enriched with international speakers and experts in the field of scientific computing and applied mathematics.

Organizers

Prof. Dr. Peter Bastian

Prof. Dr. Peter Bastian

Professor of Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University; Leader, Scientific Computing Group, (Speaker, AMSC 2026)

Academic profile
Dr. Michael J. Winckler

Dr. Michael J. Winckler

Administrative Director, Heidelberg University, (Speaker, AMSC 2026)

Academic profile
Dr. Suboor Bakht

Dr. Suboor Bakht

Director, Heidelberg University Office for South Asia (HCSA), New Delhi

Academic profile
Prof. Dr. Bal Krishna Bal

Prof. Dr. Bal Krishna Bal

Professor of Computer Enginering; Dean, School of Engineering, Kathmandu University

Academic profile
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manoj Shakya

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manoj Shakya

Department of Artificial Intelligence, Kathmandu University

Academic profile
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pankaj Raj Dawadi

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pankaj Raj Dawadi

Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Kathmandu University

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Mr. Sanjog Sigdel

Mr. Sanjog Sigdel

Lecturer, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Kathmandu University; Coordinator, AMSC 2026

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Invited Speakers

Dil Bahadur Gurung

Prof. Dil Bahadur Gurung

Department of Mathematics, Kathmandu University

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Ganga Ram Phaijoo, PhD

Assoc. Prof. Ganga Ram Phaijoo

Department of Mathematics, Kathmandu University

Academic profile

Registration information

Join the summer school.

Total Seats available are 50 and the registration deadline is September 10, 2026. Once confirmed the organizing committee will send you an email by 18 September, 2026. In case of any inquiry please contact the organizing committee via email

Registration CLosedContact organizers