Ortrud Oellermann

BSc, BSc Honours, MSc, PhD

Ortrud Oellermann is a prolific researcher, esteemed academic, and highly rated professor whose ability to solve complex mathematical problems has led to her being sought out by mathematicians around the globe.

She has collaborated with 85 co-authors worldwide including high-calibre mathematicians such as Paul Erdös, Ron Graham, Fan Chung, Frank Harary and Gary Chartrand.

An internationally-recognized researcher specializing in graph theory, she has published over 150 papers, been cited over 1000 times, and has been invited to give numerous keynote presentations both nationally and internationally. Her work focuses on structural graph theory related to distance notions, graph connectivity and cycle structures of graphs. She pioneered several areas in graph theory such as the study of the average connectivity, Steiner intervals, and convexities defined in terms of Steiner intervals.

She has consistently held NSERC funding since 1994. Upon retirement, she was awarded adjunct professor status and continues to hold an NSERC Discovery Grant in this capacity.

She has been recognized with the Erica and Arnold Rogers Research Award for Excellence in Research at UWinnipeg, the Hall Medal of the Institute of Combinatorics and its Applications, the Royal Society’s Meiring Naude Medal, and several awards from institutions in South Africa.

Oellermann also exemplifies excellence in teaching. She is consistently described by her colleagues and students as a caring, dedicated, hard-working and conscientious colleague and mentor.

Over the years, she has supervised over 40 research students and post-doctoral fellows. Her former students are employed in various mathematical professions all over the world; as professors, teachers, doctors, lawyers, and cyber security experts, to name a few.

The University of Winnipeg is proud to honour Ortrud Oellermann as Professor Emerita. Her proven track record of superior scholarship and commitment to research excellence has provided a strong foundation for student success and advancing the field of mathematics.