Andreas Nickel studied mathematics and computer science at the University of Augsburg, where he also received his PhD in 2008. After a one-year-long stay at the Université de Bordeaux I as part of a research fellowship by the German Research Foundation, he held positions at the Universities of Regensburg and Bielefeld, the LMU Munich, and most recently the University of Duisburg-Essen. He habilitated at Bielefeld University in 2014 and was a fellow in the prestigious Heisenberg Programme of the German Research Foundation from 2017 to 2022.

Prof. Nickel works on algebraic number theory, in particular Iwasawa theory, as well as noncommutative algebra and dynamical systems of number-theoretic origin. In essence, this field is concerned with describing the structure of algebraic objects of arithmetic interest by certain analytic objects. The latter are special values of so-called L-series, which are natural generalizations of the Riemann zeta function, one of the best known and most important functions in mathematics.

Currently, Prof. Nickel is working on the main conjecture of Iwasawa theory and its consequences for special values of L-series. He also considers topological dynamical systems of number-theoretic origin, where these values are expected to determine the topological entropy of the system.

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