Background

‘During my Bachelor’s programme Mathematics at the University of Bonn in Germany, I developed a strong interest in mathematical logic and set theory. After this, I became interested in more areas of mathematical logic and logic in general. One reason to choose this Master’s programme was to find out which area of logic I like and if I want to continue pursuing a research career.’

Programme

‘I love the people and collaboration! As Logic is a highly interdisciplinary study, you will often find yourself in a mathematics-philosophy discussion with a fellow student in which you try to prove theorems and discuss their philosophical impact. Everyone at the IILC is very interested in their research subject and therefore you will not only learn new thing during courses, but also a lot during social activities. Though I enjoy the interdisciplinary atmosphere of the Master’s programme, I mainly focus on mathematical logic combined with some philosophical courses. Moreover, there is a very international atmosphere at the IILC and it is easy to make new friends.’

‘Before coming to Amsterdam, I had not realised the variety of non-classical-logics and the applications and fields of logics in general. The programme gives a great overview of all different aspects of logic. One thing I really learned is to assess a mathematical proof for its logical content. Learning to prove a theorem is a skill I acquired during my Bachelor’s programme Mathematics, but thoroughly analysing it (i.e., which logical rules of inference are used, would it still be valid in a different logic, etc.) I learned at the UvA.’

‘I particularly like the research projects that you can organise yourself, under supervision of the teachers. I really enjoyed the courses Philosophical Logic and Philosophy of Mathematics as they made me aware of many background assumptions we have in modern mathematics. These courses showed me how much the choice of background logic (and philosophy) influences mathematics.

Student life

‘In my free time, I like to visit museums as well as playing flamenco and classical guitar. Also, I enjoy climbing at the many bouldergyms in the city. Amsterdam is great – it is beautiful and there is always something to do.’