Anna Sakovich: “I learn a lot from my students”
Researcher profile
The combination of research and teaching is what Anna Sakovich values most about her job. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt, Uppsala University
Curiosity about both geometric analysis and her students is what drives Anna Sakovich in her work as a senior lecturer in the Geometry and Physics Unit at the Department of Mathematics. She has been awarded two Distinguished Teaching Awards for her efforts.
The combination of research and teaching is what Anna Sakovich, Senior Lecturer in the Geometry and Physics Unit at the Department of Mathematics, values most about her job.
“I like the variety. It wouldn’t suit me to just do research or just teach. I learn a lot from my students,” she says.
Anna Sakovich was honoured with UTN’s Distinguished Teaching Award for her work in the course Single Variable Calculus in 2022 and with Uppsala University’s Distinguished Teaching Award in the field of mathematics, natural sciences and technology in 2024.
“I’m delighted,” she says. When asked why she thinks she was chosen for these awards, she replies that it may be because she makes a point of listening to her students.
“Many people find mathematics difficult, so it’s very much about showing them that it’s not scary. It's not always obvious from the outset why it’s useful in their education, so I try to adapt my teaching to the students’ different specialisations. In a later course, the pieces usually fall into place, and they understand why they need mathematics.”
Left Belarus for an academic career
Anna Sakovich completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics in her home country of Belarus. It was her father, himself a researcher and a critic of the regime, who encouraged her to seek opportunities abroad for better career prospects. In 2007, she came to Sweden to pursue a PhD at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). After postdoctoral positions at MSRI Berkeley, the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam-Golm and the University of Vienna, she was hired by Uppsala University in 2016.
“My research mainly concerns mathematical relativity theory and geometric analysis, primarily problems relating to the concepts of mass and centre of mass in the general relativity theory. There are still plenty of unsolved problems in this area,” says Anna Sakovich.
The first step in mathematical research is to formulate a hypothesis. For example, if the problem concerns black holes, we need to explain what they are. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt, Uppsala University
To explain what geometric analysis is to someone who is not familiar with the subject, she uses soap bubbles as an example. While their size may vary, their shape is always the same: a sphere. This is because surface tension forces the surface of the soap bubble to take on the most efficient, round shape.
“The area decreases, but the volume remains constant, which presents us with a mathematical problem.”
Developing tools to understand the universe
The first step in mathematical research is to formulate a hypothesis. For example, if the problem concerns black holes, we need to explain what they are. A black hole is characterised by the fact that light cannot escape from it, something that can be described mathematically.
“Then you have to deduce everything you arrive at from there; you can’t take anything for granted,” says Anna Sakovich.
While a space physicist works primarily with observations based on various parameters, mathematicians try to find aspects that characterise black holes in general or the like. This type of research can be applied when you need to solve a problem where Newtonian mechanics are not sufficient.
“There are models that show things like the expansion after the Big Bang. To compare the universe with a model, you need tools, and that’s what we mathematicians are trying to develop,” says Anna Sakovich.
A social and varied job
In addition to research and teaching, she is also the teacher responsible for the Bachelor Programme in Mathematics and works extensively to ensure the quality of the programme. In recent years, Anna Sakovich has also supervised her first doctoral student, who will defend their thesis in June 2026.
“It feels huge! We are a small group researching in this area, so it’s great that someone has chosen this particular subject out of all the courses available at the University,” she says.
As a researcher, Anna Sakovich has colleagues all over the world. The ones she works most closely with are at other universities, which means both Zoom meetings and travel.
“People might think that a researcher in mathematics just sits in their office and does calculations, but it’s a social job where a lot happens!”
Sigrid Asker
Facts: Anna Sakovich
Home: Uppsala
From: Minsk, Belarus
Family: Husband and eight-year-old daughter. She met her husband while studying for her doctorate at KTH. Parents in Belarus and brother in Canada.
What makes me happy: “When work is going well and you can see that it’s producing results.”
Interests: “Right now, a lot of my time is taken up with my daughter; life changes when you have children. But otherwise, I enjoy hiking. Walking with my backpack from station to station is the best way to clear my head. I’m also a bit obsessed with growing flowers. I’m an outdoors person.”
About Swedish: “When I was a doctoral student, it was mandatory to teach in Swedish, so I needed to learn it, and I wanted to as well. My supervisor at KTH also encouraged me to learn the language.”