PIMS 2020 Collaborative Research Groups Announced

The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) is pleased to award two 2020 Collaborative Research Group Awards to Novel Techniques in Low Dimension: Floer Homology, representation theory and algebraic topology and quanTA: Centre for Quantum Topology and Its Applications.

Novel Techniques in Low Dimension, at UBC is led by Liam Watson (UBC) together with Ryan Budney (U Victoria Math), Sabin Cautis (UBC Math), Robert Lipshitz (U Oregon Math) and Ben Williams (UBC Math). The CRG is already active, and is preparing for its first intensive workshop: Frontiers in low-dimensional topology, to be held at UBC this coming July. The event is organized by John Baldwin (Boston College), Lisa Piccirillo (MIT) and Liam Watson, and includes additional funding from the NSF. A central event for this CRG will be the Floer homotopy bootcamp, a graduate summer school slated for July 2021 and organized by Kristen Hendricks (Rutgers), Ailsa Keating (Cambridge), Robert Lipshitz, Liam Watson, and Ben Williams, which will serve to provide key background for early career researchers ahead of the Fall 2022 MSRI program Floer homotopy theory. The caliber and background of this CRG group is indeed high, each with an extensive background in various thematic areas in Topology.

The quanTA CRG is anchored at the University of Saskatchewan and is led by Steven Rayan together with Robert Green (U of S Physics), Derek Krepski (U of M Math) Lindsay LeBlanc (U of A Physics), Joseph Maciejko (U of A Physics), Artur Sowa (U of S Math & Stats), Jacek Szmigielski (U of S Math & Stats) and Kaori Tanaka (U of S Physics). As an interdisciplinary institute, quanTA is devoted to the mathematics and physics of novel new quantum materials, inspired by the discovery of topological materials that have revolutionized condensed matter physics. Through PIMS support, quanTA has recruited two post doctorate fellows who will work collaboratively at the University of Saskatchewan, University of Manitoba and the University of Alberta. The research centre has already received support from New Frontiers in Research Fund and the University of Saskatchewan. The members of quanTA aim to use pure mathematics to develop 21st Century tools with exciting applications to real-world problems. As such, they are looking forward to training a new generation of scientists across Western Canada.

PIMS excited to have both CRGs join our community!