Fri, 03 Feb 2023

15:30 - 16:30
Large Lecture Theatre, Department of Statistics, University of Oxford

Statistics' Florence Nightingale Lecture

Professor Marloes Matthuis
(ETH Zurich)
Further Information

Title: “Causal learning from observational data”

Please register in advance using the online form: https://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/events/florence-nightingale-lecture-2023

Marloes Henriette Maathuis is a Dutch statistician known for her work on causal inference using graphical models, particularly in high-dimensional data from applications in biology and epidemiology. She is a professor of statistics at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.

Abstract

I will discuss a line of work on estimating causal effects from observational data. In the first part of the talk, I will discuss identification and estimation of causal effects when the underlying causal graph is known, using adjustment. In the second part, I will discuss what one can do when the causal graph is unknown. Throughout, examples will be used to illustrate the concepts and no background in causality is assumed.

Fri, 27 Jan 2023
16:00
L1

How to give a talk

Abstract

In this session, we will hold a panel discussion on how to best give an academic talk. Among other topics, we will focus on techniques for engaging your audience, for determining the level and technical details of the talk, and for giving both blackboard and slide presentations. The discussion will begin with a directed panel discussion before opening up to questions from the audience.

Fri, 20 Jan 2023
16:00
L1

Departmental Colloquium

Professor James Maynard
(Mathematical Institute (University of Oxford))
Further Information

Title: “Prime numbers: Techniques, results and questions”

Abstract

The basic question in prime number theory is to try to understand the number of primes in some interesting set of integers. Unfortunately many of the most basic and natural examples are famous open problems which are over 100 years old!

We aim to give an accessible survey of (a selection of) the main results and techniques in prime number theory. In particular we highlight progress on some of these famous problems, as well as a selection of our favourite problems for future progress.

Mon, 16 Jan 2023
16:00
N3.12

Some things about the class number formula

Håvard Damm-Johnsen
(University of Oxford)
Abstract

The Dedekind zeta function generalises the Riemann zeta
function to other number fields than the rationals. The analytic class number
formula says that the leading term of the Dedekind zeta function is a
product of invariants of the number field. I will say some things
about the class number formula, about L-functions, and about Stark's
conjecture which generalises the class number formula.

OBMS brings together mathematicians, chemists, physicists and engineers from academia and industry to discuss the latest modelling research and applications.

Our philosophy is to invite a small number of outstanding speakers spanning a range of topics from atomistic to continuum modelling, controls and beyond, giving broad and inspiring presentations and open discussions.

Prime numbers: Techniques, results and questions

Today, 4 pm, Lecture Theatre 1

Followed by a reception in the Common Room to celebrate our 2022 Fields medallist. You are all very welcome.

Photo of jJmes

Tue, 21 Feb 2023

14:00 - 15:00
L4

Hamilton decompositions of regular bipartite tournaments

Bertille Granet
(Heidelberg University)
Abstract

A regular bipartite tournament is an orientation of a complete balanced bipartite graph $K_{2n,2n}$ where every vertex has its in- and outdegree both equal to $n$. In 1981, Jackson conjectured that any regular bipartite tournament can be decomposed into Hamilton cycles. We prove this conjecture for sufficiently large $n$. Along the way, we also prove several further results, including a conjecture of Liebenau and Pehova on Hamilton decompositions of dense bipartite digraphs.

Tue, 14 Feb 2023

14:00 - 15:00
L4

Approximation of Boolean solution sets to polynomial conditions on finite prime fields

Thomas Karam
(University of Oxford)
Abstract

Let $p \ge 3$ be a prime integer. The density of a non-empty solution set of a system of affine equations $L_i(x) = b_i$, $i=1,\dots,k$ on a vector space over the field $\mathbb{F}_p$ is determined by the dimension of the linear subspace $\langle L_1,\dots,L_k \rangle$, and tends to $0$ with the dimension of that subspace. In particular, if the solution set is dense, then the system of equations contains at most boundedly many pairwise distinct linear forms. In the more general setting of systems of affine conditions $L_i(x) \in E_i$ for some strict subsets $E_i$ of $\mathbb{F}_p$ and where the solution set and its density are taken inside $S^n$ for some non-empty subset $S$ of $\mathbb{F}_p$ (such as $\{0,1\}$), we can however usually find subsets of $S^n$ with density at least $1/2$ but such that the linear subspace $\langle L_1,\dots,L_k \rangle$ has arbitrarily high dimension. We shall nonetheless establish an approximate boundedness result: if the solution set of a system of affine conditions is dense, then it contains the solution set of a system of boundedly many affine conditions and which has approximately the same density as the original solution set. Using a recent generalisation by Gowers and the speaker of a result of Green and Tao on the equidistribution of high-rank polynomials on finite prime fields we shall furthermore prove a weaker analogous result for polynomials of small degree.

Based on joint work with Timothy Gowers (College de France and University of Cambridge).

Tue, 31 Jan 2023

14:00 - 15:00
L4

Hypercontractivity on compact Lie groups, and some applications

David Ellis
(University of Bristol)
Abstract

We present two ways of obtaining hypercontractive inequalities for low-degree functions on compact Lie groups: one based on Ricci curvature bounds, the Bakry-Emery criterion and the representation theory of compact Lie groups, and another based on a (very different) probabilistic coupling approach. As applications we make progress on a question of Gowers concerning product-free subsets of the special unitary groups, and we also obtain 'mixing' inequalities for the special unitary groups, the special orthogonal groups, the spin groups and the compact symplectic groups. We expect that the latter inequalities will have applications in physics.

Based on joint work with Guy Kindler (HUJI), Noam Lifshitz (HUJI) and Dor Minzer (MIT).

Tue, 24 Jan 2023

14:00 - 15:00
L4

Asymmetric graph removal

Yuval Wigderson
(Tel Aviv University)
Abstract

The triangle removal lemma of Ruzsa and Szemerédi is a fundamental result in extremal graph theory; very roughly speaking, it says that if a graph is "far" from triangle-free, then it contains "many" triangles. Despite decades of research, there is still a lot that we don't understand about this simple statement; for example, our understanding of the quantitative dependencies is very poor.


In this talk, I will discuss asymmetric versions of the triangle removal lemma, where in some cases we can get almost optimal quantitative bounds. The proofs use a mix of ideas coming from graph theory, number theory, probabilistic combinatorics, and Ramsey theory.


Based on joint work with Lior Gishboliner and Asaf Shapira.

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