Iris Runge (1888-1966) was one of the six children of Carl Runge (1856-1927), who eminently developped numerical analysis. He became in 1904 the first professor of applied mathematics in Germany.
One of her sisters married the mathematician Richard Courant (1888-1972).
As a student, Iris Runge was learned at Göttingen and Munich Universities. She studied vector analysis with the theoretical physicist Arnold Sommerfeld (1868-1951), and the numerical and graphical methods developped with her father.
She took a teacher examination in mathematics, physics, and geography in 1913, and in chemistry in 1920. Her chemistry doctorate was prepared under Gustav Tamman (1861-1938).
She worked in research laboratories of Osram and Telefunken from 1923 to 1945, where she was the only woman researcher in the valve laboratory. Her mathematical research contributed to improve the construction of radio valves.