Mathematics Research Group

Algebra, Geometry, and Discrete Mathematics theme

Academics in this theme study aspects of groups and semigroups, commutative algebra, algebraic geometry and graph theory. Our research also includes applications of finite field theory to network coding.

The theme’s research in algebra concerns group theory (Dr Litterick, Prof. Williams), semigroup theory (Prof. Higgins, Dr Vernitski), and meets algebraic geometry and geometric topology (Dr Gunturkun, Dr Martinez-Garcia, Dr Vernitski, Prof. Williams), graph theory and combinatorics (Dr Claridge, Prof. Higgins, Dr Penman, Dr Vernitski, Prof. Williams), computational algebra and topology (Dr Litterick, Dr Martinez-Garcia, Dr Vernitski, Prof. Williams) algebraic number theory and linear algebra (Prof. Williams), and information theory and network coding (Dr Claridge).

Some theme members also work in applications of the above areas to other subjects, such as algebraic data compression methods (Prof. Higgins, Dr Vernitski), machine learning and artificial intelligence applications to mathematics (Dr Vernitski) and communication channels and information flow through the brain (Dr Claridge).

Dr Martinez-Garcia currently holds an EPSRC Standard Grant for the project The Calabi Problem for smooth Fano Threefolds, which funds a Senior Research Officer (Dr Duarte Guerreiro). Professor Williams and Dr Vernitski have each recently held Leverhulme Research Project Grants, for work on group presentations with cyclic symmetries and machine learning in knot theory, respectively.

The theme also carries out research bridging its distinct topics, with an annual international workshop in algebraic geometry and algebraic groups (AGGITatE) and previously a CoDiMa Workshop “Tools for Discrete Computational Mathematics”. In addition to sole supervisions in their areas of expertise, members have co-supervised PhD students working on problems in geometric invariant theory (Dr Litterick, Dr Martinez-Garcia), finite quotients of infinite groups (Dr Litterick, Prof. Williams), and algebraic invariants of graphs (Dr Penman, Prof. Williams).

Recent papers

2020

2019

Research Officers

Research students

 Kanwal Khalid

Postgraduate Research Student

School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Essex

Lufeng Li

Research student

School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Essex

Charlotte Satchwell

Research student

School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Essex

Harvey Sykes

Research student

School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Essex

Female student with maths equations
Project: The Calabi problem for smooth Fano threefolds

This project, funded by EPSRC, will describe which three-dimensional positively-curved shapes admit a reasonable notion of measure.

See project