Please note that the list below only shows forthcoming events, which may not include regular events that have not yet been entered for the forthcoming term. Please see the past events page for a list of all seminar series that the department has on offer.

 

Wed, 21 Jan 2026
14:30
L3

TBA

Nutsa Gegelia
(Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz)
Thu, 22 Jan 2026

12:00 - 13:00
L3

OCIAM TBC

Katerina Kaouri
(Cardiff)

The join button will be published 30 minutes before the seminar starts (login required).

Further Information

Dr. Kaouri is working on developing models of airborne transmission in indoor spaces, in collaboration with the University of Oxford and funded by the Welsh Government. She continues to create tools for future epidemics. She has also been developing models for IVF (in-vitro fertilisation) and embryogenesis, focusing on the interplay between calcium signalling and cellular mechanics, and she leads the inFer academia-clinic interdisciplinary GW4 network, which aims to improve IVF success rates.

Tue, 27 Jan 2026
12:30

TBA

Jasper Knox
Abstract

WCMB, University of Oxford and University of Bristol

Tue, 27 Jan 2026
14:00
L6

TBC

Adam Thomas
(University of Warwick)
Abstract

to follow

Thu, 29 Jan 2026

12:00 - 13:00
L3

OCIAM TBC

Anne Skeldon
(University of Surrey)

The join button will be published 30 minutes before the seminar starts (login required).

Further Information

Anne Skeldon’s background is in dynamical systems and bifurcation theory. Her early research focused on pattern formation and fluid mechanics, particularly the Faraday wave problem. She later shifted towards applications in biology and sociology, serving as a co-investigator on the six-year complexity-science project Evolution and Resilience of Industrial Ecosystems. She is part of the Mathematics of Life and Social Sciences research group and co-leads the cross-faculty Centre for Mathematical and Computational Biology.

Her current research centres on sleep, circadian rhythms, and data science. She collaborates with researchers at the Surrey Sleep Research Centre to develop and analyse mathematical models of sleep–wake regulation—work that has featured in the UK parliamentary debate, “School should start at 10am because teenagers are too tired.” She has a particular interest in the influence of the light environment on sleep, including the potential effects of permanent daylight saving time, and in the use of mathematical models for fatigue risk management.

Thu, 29 Jan 2026
16:00
Lecture Room 4

TBA

Kevin Buzzard
(Imperial College London)
Mon, 02 Feb 2026

15:30 - 16:30
L3

Mean field games without rational expectations

Benjamin MOLL
(LSE)
Abstract
Mean Field Game (MFG) models implicitly assume “rational expectations”, meaning that the heterogeneous agents being modeled correctly know all relevant transition probabilities for the complex system they inhabit. When there is common noise, it becomes necessary to solve the “Master equation” (a.k.a. “Monster equation”), a Hamilton-JacobiBellman equation in which the infinite-dimensional density of agents is a state variable. The rational expectations assumption and the implication that agents solve Master equations is unrealistic in many applications. We show how to instead formulate MFGs with non-rational expectations. Departing from rational expectations is particularly relevant in “MFGs with a low-dimensional coupling”, i.e. MFGs in which agents’ running reward function depends on the density only through low-dimensional functionals of this density. This happens, for example, in most macroeconomics MFGs in which these lowdimensional functionals have the interpretation of “equilibrium prices.” In MFGs with a low-dimensional coupling, departing from rational expectations allows for completely sidestepping the Master equation and for instead solving much simpler finite-dimensional HJB equations. We introduce an adaptive learning model as a particular example of nonrational expectations and discuss its properties.
Mon, 02 Feb 2026

16:30 - 17:30
L4

Mean-field limits of non-exchangeable interacting diffusions on co-evolutionary networks

Prof. David Poyato
(University of Granada)
Abstract
Multi-agent systems are ubiquitous in Science, and they can be regarded as large systems of interacting particles with the ability to generate large-scale self-organized structures from simple local interactions rules between each agent and its neighbors. Since the size of the system is typically huge, an important question is to connect the microscopic and macroscopic scales in terms of mean-field limits, which is a fundamental problem in Physics and Mathematics closely related to Hilbert Sixth Problem. In most real-life applications, the communication between agents is not based on uniform all-to-all couplings, but on highly heterogeneous connections, and this makes agents distinguishable. However, the classical strategies based on mean-field limits are strongly based on the crucial assumption that agents are indistinguishable, and it therefore does not apply to our distinguishable setting, so that we need substantially new ideas.
 
In this talk I will present a recent work about the rigorous derivation of the mean-field limit for systems of non-exchangeable interacting diffusions on co-evolutionary networks. While previous research has primarily addressed continuum limits or systems with linear weight dynamics, our work overcomes these restrictions. The main challenge arises from the coupling between the network weight dynamics and the agents' states, which results in a non-Markovian dynamics where the system’s future depends on its entire history. Consequently, the mean-field limit is not described by a partial differential equation, but by a system of non-Markovian stochastic integrodifferential equations. A second difficulty stems from the non-linear weight dynamics, which requires a careful choice for the limiting network structure. Due to the limitations of the classical theory of graphons (Lovász and Szegedy, 2006) in handling non-linearities, we employ K-graphons (Lovász and Szegedy, 2010), also termed probability-graphons (Abraham, Delmas, and Weibel, 2025). This framework pro seems to provide a natural topology that is compatible with such non-linearities.
 
This is a joint work with Julián Cabrera-Nyst (University of Granada).
Thu, 05 Feb 2026

12:00 - 13:00
L3

OCIAM TBC

Marcelo Dias
(University of Edinburgh)

The join button will be published 30 minutes before the seminar starts (login required).

Further Information

Dr Marcelo A. Dias is a Reader in Structural Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. His research spans theoretical structural mechanics, soft condensed matter, and materials modelling. He focuses on understanding how the mechanical behaviour of elastic bodies emerges from the interplay between material composition and carefully designed internal geometry. His work has applications across shape formation in nature, biomechanics, materials and structural mechanics, and the controlled design and functionality of thin plates and shells. You can find some wonderful examples of this research on his research site: https://mazdias.wordpress.com/research/ 

Thu, 05 Feb 2026
16:00
Lecture Room 4

TBA

Tobias Berger
(University of Sheffield)
Mon, 09 Feb 2026

14:00 - 15:00
Lecture Room 3

What makes an image realistic ?

Lucas Theis
Abstract

The last decade has seen tremendous progress in our ability to generate realistic-looking data, be it images, text, audio, or video. In this presentation, we will look at the closely related problem of quantifying realism, that is, designing functions that can reliably tell realistic data from unrealistic data. This problem turns out to be significantly harder to solve and remains poorly understood, despite its prevalence in machine learning and recent breakthroughs in generative AI. Drawing on insights from algorithmic information theory, we discuss why this problem is challenging, why a good generative model alone is insufficient to solve it, and what a good solution would look like. In particular, we introduce the notion of a universal critic, which unlike adversarial critics does not require adversarial training. While universal critics are not immediately practical, they can serve both as a North Star for guiding practical implementations and as a tool for analyzing existing attempts to capture realism.

Mon, 09 Feb 2026

15:30 - 16:30
L3

TBA

Irfan Glogić
(Bielefeld University)
Abstract

TBA

Mon, 09 Feb 2026

16:30 - 17:30
L4

Scattering and Asymptotics for Critically Weakly Hyperbolic and Singular Systems

Dr. Arick Shao
(Queen Mary University of London)
Abstract

We study a very general class of first-order linear hyperbolic
systems that both become weakly hyperbolic and contain singular
lower-order coefficients at a single time t = 0. In "critical" weakly
hyperbolic settings, it is well-known that solutions lose a finite
amount of regularity at t = 0. Here, we both improve upon the analysis
in the weakly hyperbolic setting, and we extend this analysis to systems
containing critically singular coefficients, which may also exhibit
modified asymptotics and regularity loss at t = 0.

In particular, we give precise quantifications for (1) the asymptotics
of solutions as t approaches 0, (2) the scattering problem of solving
the system with asymptotic data at t = 0, and (3) the loss of regularity
due to the degeneracies at t = 0. Finally, we discuss a wide range of
applications for these results, including weakly hyperbolic wave
equations (and equations of higher order), as well as equations arising
from relativity and cosmology (e.g. at big bang singularities).

This is joint work with Bolys Sabitbek (Ghent).

Tue, 10 Feb 2026
14:45
L6

TBC

Corina-Gabriela Ciobotaru
(Aarhus University)
Abstract

to follow

Thu, 12 Feb 2026
16:00
Lecture Room 4

TBA

Vandita Patel
(University of Manchester)
Mon, 16 Feb 2026

16:30 - 17:30
L4

TBA

David Gomez-Castro
(UAM)
Abstract

TBA

Thu, 19 Feb 2026

12:00 - 13:00
L3

OCIAM Post-doc Talks

Dr Fiyanshu Kaka & Carmela Moschella
((Mathematical Institute University of Oxford))

The join button will be published 30 minutes before the seminar starts (login required).

Further Information

Dr Finyashu Kaka is a materials scientist specialising in sustainable energy technologies, advanced functional materials, and computational modelling. His work spans organic photovoltaics, solid-state and metal-ion batteries, MXene-based materials, and next-generation thermal barrier coatings. He combines physics-based modelling with machine-learning methods to understand and optimise process–structure–property relationships in energy devices. His research appears in leading journals, and he holds several patents in flexible electronics and energy-efficient thermal systems. He is currently working with Professor Jon Chapman as a postdoctoral researcher in OCIAM.

Thu, 19 Feb 2026

12:00 - 13:00
L3

OCIAM TBC

Edwina Yeo
(University College London)

The join button will be published 30 minutes before the seminar starts (login required).

Further Information

Dr Edwina Yeo is an applied mathematician working at the interface of continuum mechanics and mathematical biology. She specialises in developing mathematical models for biological and biomedical fluid-mechanics processes, with research spanning regenerative medicine, nanotechnology, microbiology and geology. Her recent work includes models of bacterial adhesion in fluid flow, Von Willebrand Factor dynamics in arterial flows, and microscale contaminant behaviour extracted from imaging data.

Her publications appear in journals such as Biomechanics and Modelling in Mechanobiology, Advanced Materials, and Royal Society Interface, alongside recent collaborative preprints. She is currently an EPSRC National Fellow in Fluid Dynamics at UCL and a visiting research fellow in OCIAM.

Thu, 19 Feb 2026

14:00 - 15:00
Lecture Room 3

TBA

Jongho Park
(King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST))
Abstract

TBA

Mon, 23 Feb 2026

16:30 - 17:30
L4

TBA

Prof. Fabio Ancona & Elio Marconi (*)
(University of Padova)
Abstract

TBA

Tue, 24 Feb 2026
12:30

TBA

Emma Bouckley
Abstract

University of Cambridge

Thu, 26 Feb 2026

12:00 - 13:00
L3

OCIAM TBC

Robert Van Gorder
(University of Otago)

The join button will be published 30 minutes before the seminar starts (login required).

Further Information

Dr Rob Van Gorder’s research focuses on how physical phenomena can be described, predicted, and controlled using applied mathematics. He works across mathematical modelling, analytical and asymptotic methods, and numerical simulation, applying this combination to a wide range of physical systems.

His interests in fluid dynamics centre on fundamental flow structures—such as vortices, bubbles, waves, and boundary layers—and how they evolve, persist, or break apart. He also studies spatial instabilities and pattern formation, investigating how mechanisms such as Turing and Benjamin–Feir instabilities extend to heterogeneous or non-autonomous systems arising in chemistry, physics, biology, and epidemiology.

In theoretical physics, Dr Van Gorder works on quantum mechanics, quantum fluids, and nonlinear waves, including the dynamics of Bose–Einstein condensates, quantised vortices in superfluid helium, and confined quantum systems. Across these areas, he aims to understand how nonlinear and quantum systems behave under realistic constraints and external forcing.

His recent publications include work on pattern formation and diffusive instabilities in Proceedings of the Royal Society A.

Thu, 26 Feb 2026

14:00 - 15:00
Lecture Room 3

TBA

Carolina Urzua Torres
(TU Delft)
Abstract

TBA

Thu, 26 Feb 2026
16:00
Lecture Room 4

TBA

Ana Caraiani
(Imperial College London)
Fri, 27 Feb 2026

11:00 - 12:00
L4

To be announced

Dr Robert Van Gorder
(Department of Mathematics and Statistics University of Otago)
Mon, 02 Mar 2026

16:30 - 17:30
L4

TBA

Bruno Volzone
(Politecnico di Milano)
Abstract

TBA

Thu, 05 Mar 2026

12:00 - 13:00
L3

OCIAM TBC

Stuart Thomson
(University of Bristol)

The join button will be published 30 minutes before the seminar starts (login required).

Further Information

Dr Stuart J. Thomson is an applied mathematician whose research sits at the intersection of mathematics, physics, and engineering. He works closely with table-top experiments to uncover how complex fluid and soft-matter systems give rise to novel emergent phenomena through nonlinear dynamics, many-body interactions, and geometric confinement. His interests include interfacial hydrodynamics, self-assembly, active and driven matter, interfacial robotics, transport phenomena, and fluid–structure interaction.

He is currently leading the project “The statistical physics of hydrodynamic random walkers: experiments and theory”, which combines experimental and theoretical approaches to understand how fluid-mediated interactions shape the behaviour of randomly moving microscopic walkers. Dr Thomson is based in the School of Engineering, Mathematics and Technology at the University of Bristol.

Thu, 05 Mar 2026
14:00

TBA

Katharina Schratz
(Sorbonne University)
Abstract

TBA