The inaugural lecture of Prof. Karin Melnick entitled “Transformation groups in differential geometry: the interplay of structure, shape, and symmetry” will take place on 21 November 2024 on Belval Campus.
Presentation
For problems in physics, data modelling, and throughout mathematics, symmetry is key. Some symmetry groups are so rich in structure that only high-dimensional, comparably rich spaces can accommodate them. For some geometric structures on compact spaces, the presence of any nontrivial symmetry implies much more symmetry, and completely determines the geometry. Both phenomena are manifestations of rigidity, the strong interrelationship of structure, shape, and symmetry. Professor Melnick will present her work on rigidity of transformation groups in differential geometry, explaining conjectures and results that capture these two phenomena.
Biography
Before joining the University of Luxembourg in August 2023, Prof. Karin Melnick was a faculty member in the Mathematics Department of the University of Maryland in the USA for 14 years, at the rank of Full Professor since 2021. Her research has been recognised with a Centennial Fellowship from the American Mathematical Society, a CAREER award from the US National Science Foundation, and a Joan and Joseph Birman Fellowship for Women Scholars, in 2020. Karin Melnick’s research group is Group Actions, Geometric Structures, and Smooth Dynamics
Programme
- 17:30 Welcome speech – Pascal Bouvry, Dean, Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine
- 17:35 Lecture “Transformation groups in differential geometry: the interplay of structure, shape, and symmetry” – Karin Melnick, Full professor in Mathematics
- 18:15 Q&A
- 18:30 Cocktail