Benjamin Gess

Portrait of Benjamin Gess
Photo: Universität Bielefeld / Michael Adamski

Professor
TU Berlin and MPI MiS

Research profile

Benjamin Gess leads SAiS across TU Berlin and the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences. His research develops analytical and probabilistic methods for nonlinear PDEs, stochastic PDEs and interacting systems, with applications ranging from fluctuating hydrodynamics to machine learning.

Research areas

Nonlinear PDEs · SPDEs · Stochastic Dynamics · Numerics · Machine Learning · Non-equilibrium Statistical Mechanics, Interacting Particle Systems and Fluctuating Hydrodynamics · Stochastic Fluid Dynamics · Sampling

Five research keywords

conservative SPDEs · nonlinear diffusion · large deviations · interacting particle systems · stochastic dynamics

Contact and links

Public email

Institutional email: information to be provided by the member.

Institution

TU Berlin and MPI MiS

Academic links

Personal academic website
MPI MiS profile

Curriculum vitae

DateAppointment / education
2024–presentW3 Professor, Technische Universität Berlin.
2021–presentResearch group leader, Stochastic Analysis in the Sciences, Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences.
2019–2024W3 Professor, Bielefeld University.
2016–2021Max Planck research group leader, Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences.
2013–2015Postdoctoral researcher, University of Chicago, supported by a DFG research fellowship.
2012–2013Postdoctoral appointments at TU Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Bielefeld University.
2009–2011PhD in Mathematics, Bielefeld University; advisor: Michael Röckner; summa cum laude.
2007–2008MSc in Mathematics, University of Warwick; with distinction.
2004–2007Studies in Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Bonn.

Publications

This catalogue contains all publications by the member, including work from before joining SAiS. Journal versions and preprints are maintained as one record per scientific work.

  • Synchronization by noise for order-preserving random dynamical systems

    Published · The annals of probability, 45 (2017) 2, pp. 1325-1350. We provide sufficient conditions for weak synchronization by noise for order-preserving random dynamical systems on Polish spaces. That is, under these conditions we prove the existence of a weak point attractor consisting…

  • Singular-degenerate multivalued stochastic fast diffusion equations

    Published · SIAM journal on mathematical analysis, 47 (2015) 5, pp. 4058-4090. We consider singular-degenerate, multivalued stochastic fast diffusion equations with multiplicative Lipschitz continuous noise. In particular, this includes the stochastic sign fast diffusion equation arising from the Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld model for self-organized criticality. A…

  • Long-time behavior, invariant measures and regularizing effects for stochastic scalar conservation laws

    Published · Communications on pure and applied mathematics, 70 (2017) 8, pp. 1562-1597. We study the long-time behavior and the regularity of pathwise entropy solutions to stochastic scalar conservation laws with random in time spatially homogeneous fluxes and periodic initial data. We prove that the…

  • Synchronization by noise

    Published · Probability theory and related fields, 168 (2017) 3/4, pp. 511-556. We provide sufficient conditions for synchronization by noise, i.e. under these conditions we prove that weak random attractors for random dynamical systems consist of single random points. In the case of SDE…

  • Scalar conservation laws with multiple rough fluxes

    Published · Communications in mathematical sciences, 13 (2015) 6, pp. 1569-1597. We study pathwise entropy solutions for scalar conservation laws with inhomogeneous fluxes and quasilinear multiplicative rough path dependence. This extends the previous work of Lions, Perthame and Souganidis who considered spatially independent…

  • Stochastic variational inequalities and regularity for degenerate stochastic partial differential equations

    Published · Transactions of the American Mathematical Society, 369 (2017) 5, pp. 3017-3045. The regularity and characterization of solutions to degenerate, quasilinear SPDE is studied. Our results are two-fold: First, we prove regularity results for solutions to certain degenerate, quasilinear SPDE driven by Lipschitz continuous…

  • Stochastic scalar conservation laws driven by rough paths

    Published · Annales de l’Institut Henri Poincaré / C, 33 (2016) 4, pp. 933-963. We prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions to a class of stochastic scalar conservation laws with joint space-time transport noise and affine-linear noise driven by a geometric p-rough path. In particular,…

  • Finite time extinction for stochastic sign fast diffusion and self-organized criticality

    Published · Communications in mathematical physics, 335 (2015) 1, pp. 309-344. We prove finite time extinction for stochastic sign fast diffusion equations driven by linear multiplicative space-time noise, corresponding to the Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld model for self-organized criticality. This solves a problem posed and left…

  • The Jain-Monrad criterion for rough paths and applications to random Fourier series and non-Markovian Hörmander theory

    Published · The annals of probability, 44 (2016) 1, pp. 684-738. We discuss stochastic calculus for large classes of Gaussian processes, based on rough path analysis. Our key condition is a covariance measure structure combined with a classical criterion due to Jain and…

  • On the Variational Regularity of Cameron-Martin paths

    It is a well-known fact that finite rho-variation of the covariance (in 2D sense) of a general Gaussian process implies finite rho-variation of Cameron-Martin paths. In the special case of fractional Brownian motion (think: 2H=1/rho), in the rougher than Brownian…

Current SAiS projects

FluCo
Principal investigator of the ERC Consolidator Grant.

NumGM
Principal investigator of the DFG project with Gabriele Steidl.

CoScaRa project
Principal investigator in Priority Programme 2410.

CRC/TRR 388 project A11
Principal investigator.

Fluctuations and Control
MATH+ project with Peter K. Friz.

CRC 1283 project B01
Associated project.

Talks and posters

Selected recent talks are included below. Poster presentations have not been recorded separately.

DateTalk or event
2026FOCM, Vienna — Thermodynamically Consistent and Positivity Preserving Discretization of the Stochastic Thin Film Equation.
202615th AIMS Conference, Athens — Large Deviations for the Porous Medium Equation via Multiscale Integrability.
2026Sorbonne Université, conference celebrating Felix Otto — Gradient-flow structures for porous-media equations, large deviations and multiscale analysis.
2026STOCHASTICA SNIP seminar — Large Spikes in SGD: A Large-Deviations View of Catapults.
2026SIAM Optimization Conference, Edinburgh — Large Spikes in SGD: A Large-Deviations View of Catapults.
2026(Ir)Regularity @ Parma I — Optimal regularity for the nonlocal anisotropic porous-medium equation.
2026MFO, Flows on Measure Spaces and Applications in Machine Learning — Effective fluctuating continuum models for stochastic gradient descent.
2026MFO, Modern and Emerging Phenomena in Machine Learning — Large Spikes in SGD: A Large-Deviations View of Catapults.
2026CoScaRa Annual Meeting, MPI MiS — Rough and nonlinear transport in stochastic fluid dynamics.
2025Mathematics Colloquium, University of Freiburg — Fluctuations in continuum.
2025Mathematics Colloquium, University of Augsburg — Fluctuations in continuum.
2025Beijing–Hong Kong PDE Seminar — From large deviations around porous media to PDEs with irregular coefficients and gradient-flow structures.
2025Workshop on Geometry, Topology, and Machine Learning, MPI MiS — Fluctuating continuum models for stochastic gradient descent on curved spaces.
2025MFO, Probabilistic Perspectives in Neural Network-Based Machine Learning — Effective fluctuating continuum models for Riemannian stochastic gradient descent.
2025TU Berlin semester opening — Fluctuations in continuum.
2025MPI MiS CRC Day — Fluctuations and stochastic dynamics in singular and interacting systems.
2025Langenbach Seminar, WIAS — From large deviations around porous media to PDEs with irregular coefficients and gradient-flow structures.
20258th International Conference on Random Dynamical Systems, Konstanz — Effective fluctuating continuum models for stochastic gradient descent.
2025SPP 2410 workshop, Clausthal — Path-by-path regularization by noise for scalar conservation laws.
2025Conservation Laws and Non-reciprocity, Münster — Gradient-flow structures and large deviations for porous-media equations.
2025École normale supérieure, Paris — Gradient-flow structures and large deviations for porous-media equations.
2025Bielefeld University Uncertainty Colloquium — Taming uncertainty and profiting from randomness in machine learning.
202560th Netherlands Mathematical Congress, plenary lecture — Fluctuations in continuum.
2025TRR 388 opening conference, Berlin — Gradient-flow structures and large deviations for porous-media equations.
2025Stochastic Equations and Particle Systems, Sapienza University of Rome — Gradient-flow structures and large deviations for porous-media equations.
2025GPSD, Dresden — Effective fluctuating continuum models for SGD with small learning rate or in overparameterized limits.
2025GPSD, Dresden — Landau–Lifshitz–Navier–Stokes equations: large deviations and the energy equality.
2025Academy of Sciences and Literature — Fluctuations in continuum.
2025ESI Vienna — Optimal regularity for the nonlocal anisotropic porous-medium equation.
2024Cortona — Effective fluctuating continuum models for SGD with small learning rate or in overparameterized limits.
2024EPFL Lausanne — Large deviations from porous media, gradient-flow structures and SPDEs.
2024ETH Zurich, Modern Perspectives in Applied Mathematics — From large deviations around porous media to PDEs with irregular coefficients and gradient-flow structures.
2024TU Delft, SPDEs Below Sea Level — Large deviations from porous media, gradient-flow structures and SPDEs.
2024NorPDE, Oslo — Optimal regularity for the nonlocal anisotropic porous-medium equation.
2024Hamburg Colloquium on Mathematical Statistics and Stochastic Processes — Large deviations from porous media and gradient-flow structures.
2024Seoul National University Probability Seminar — Large deviations from porous media and gradient-flow structures.
2024Imperial College London — Large deviations from porous media and gradient-flow structures.
2024ESI Vienna — Large deviations from porous media and gradient-flow structures.
2024CIRM Marseille — Large deviations from porous media and gradient-flow structures.

Teaching

TermCourse or seminar
Summer 2026Seminar: Mathematics of Machine Learning; Seminar: Stochastic Analysis in the Sciences.
Winter 2025/26Seminar: Mathematics of Machine Learning; Seminar: Stochastic Analysis in the Sciences.
Summer 2025Seminar: Mathematics of Machine Learning; Seminar: Stochastic Analysis in the Sciences.
Winter 2024/25Seminar: Mathematics of Machine Learning.
Winter 2023/24Seminar: Mathematics of Machine Learning.
Summer 2023Seminar: Mathematics of Machine Learning.
Winter 2022/23Analysis I; Mathematics of Machine Learning; Stochastic Analysis in the Sciences cluster group; Stochastic Afternoon seminar.
Summer 2022Mathematics for Natural Sciences II; Mathematics of Machine Learning III; Stochastic Analysis in the Sciences cluster group; Stochastic Afternoon seminar.
Winter 2021/22Analysis II; Mathematics of Machine Learning II; Stochastic Analysis in the Sciences cluster group; Stochastic Afternoon seminar.
Summer 2021Analysis I; Mathematics of Machine Learning; Stochastic Analysis in the Sciences cluster group; Stochastic Afternoon seminar.
Winter 2020/21IRTG lecture: Large Deviation Estimates; Selected Topics in Large Deviations Theory; Stochastic Analysis research group.
2020Large Deviations II.
2019/20Large Deviations for Stochastic PDE I; Stochastic Thin-Film Equations at MPI MiS and Bielefeld University.
2019Introduction to Singular SPDEs and Stochastic Variational Inequalities, MPI MiS; Stochastic Variational Inequalities, Bielefeld University.
2018/19Random Dynamical Systems and Stochastic Porous-Media Equations with Nonlinear Noise, MPI MiS and Bielefeld University.
2018Optimal Regularity Theory for the Porous-Medium Equation, MPI MiS; Regularity Theory for Degenerate PDEs, Bielefeld University.
2017/18Introduction to Stochastic Scalar Conservation Laws; Analysis Lecture Series, MPI MiS.
2017Introduction to Stochastic Scalar Conservation Laws, Bielefeld University; Variational Approach to SPDEs, MPI MiS.
2016/17Introduction to Stochastic Partial Differential Equations II, MPI MiS.
2016Introduction to Stochastic Partial Differential Equations, MPI MiS.
2015/16Probability II, MPI MiS, jointly with Artem Shaposhnikov and Max von Renesse.
2015Analysis III, Bielefeld University.