Wed, 22 Oct 2025

16:00 - 17:00
L6

Introduction to group cohomology and a fixed point theorem

Shaked Bader
(Mathematical Institute University of Oxford)
Abstract
Most of the talk would be devoted to basic definitions and cute facts that are easy to prove with group cohomology. In the second part I'll state and prove a recent fixed point theorem which is joint work with Saar Bader, Uri Bader and Roman Sauer. Both parts of the talk should be followable to anyone who knows undergraduate level Algebraic Topology.


 

Wed, 15 Oct 2025

16:00 - 17:00
L6

Dehn Surgery and Knots

Misha Shmalian
((Mathematical Institute University of Oxford))
Abstract

Dehn surgery is a method of building three-dimensional manifolds that is ubiquitous throughout low-dimensional topology. I will give an introduction to Dehn surgery and discuss recent work with M. Kegel on the uniqueness of Dehn surgery descriptions of 3-manifolds. To do this, I will discuss the reason that Dehn surgery is so prominent - namely that it interacts very well with many structures, such as the geometry and gauge theory of 3-manifolds. (I will do my very best to assume very little background knowledge.)

Thu, 12 Feb 2026

16:00 - 17:00
L5

TBA

Florian Gutekunst
(University of Warwick)
Abstract

TBA

Thu, 19 Feb 2026

16:00 - 17:00
L5

TBA

Prof. Sam Howison
((Mathematical Institute University of Oxford))
Abstract

TBA

Thu, 22 Jan 2026

16:00 - 17:00
L5

Bayesian dynamic portfolio optimization with informative constraints

Jonathan Tam
((Mathematical Institute University of Oxford))
Abstract
There is a recent debate on whether sustainable investing necesarily impact portfolio performance negatively. We model the financial impact of portfolio constraints by attributing the performance of dynamic portfolios to contributions from individual constraints. We consider a mean-variance portfolio problem with unknown asset returns. Investors impose a dynamic constraint based on a firm characteristic that contains information about returns, such as the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) score. We characterize the optimal investment strategy through two stochastic Riccati equations. Using this framework, we demonstrate that, depending on the correlation between returns and firm characteristics, incorporating the constraint can, in certain cases, enhance portfolio performance compared to a passive benchmark that disregards the information embedded in these constraints. Our results shed light on the role of implicit information contained in constraints in determining the performance of a constrained portfolio.
 
This project is joint work with Ruixun Zhang (Peking University), Yufei Zhang (Imperial College London) and Xunyu Zhou (Columbia University).
 


 

Thu, 05 Mar 2026

16:00 - 17:00
L5

TBA

Vlad Tuchilu
((Mathematical Institute University of Oxford))
Abstract

TBA

The Department of Psychiatry are looking for volunteers aged 18–65 who are experiencing low mood or reduced motivation to take part in a study testing a 7-day course of Losartan (a licensed blood pressure medicine) or placebo, and psychological training focused on activity scheduling. 

Participants who complete the study will be reimbursed at least £140, plus reasonable travel expenses for visits.

Wed, 14 Jan 2026

11:00 - 13:00
L3

Ergodicity of infinite volume Phi^4_3 model at high temperature

Paweł Duch
(EPFL - Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne)
Abstract

The dynamical Phi^4_3 model is a stochastic partial differential equation that arises in quantum field theory and statistical physics. Owing to the singular nature of the driving noise and the presence of a nonlinear term, the equation is inherently ill-posed. Nevertheless, it can be given a rigorous meaning, for example, through the framework of regularity structures. On compact domains, standard arguments show that any solution converges to the equilibrium state described by the unique invariant measure. Extending this result to infinite volume is highly nontrivial: even for the lattice version of the model, uniqueness holds only in the high-temperature regime, whereas at low temperatures multiple phases coexist.

We prove that, when the mass is sufficiently large or the coupling constant sufficiently small (that is, in the high-temperature regime), all solutions of the dynamical Phi^4_3 model in infinite volume converge exponentially fast to the unique stationary solution, uniformly over all initial conditions. In particular, this result implies that the invariant measure of the dynamics is unique, exhibits exponential decay of correlations, and is invariant under translations, rotations, and reflections.

Joint work with Martin Hairer, Jaeyun Yi, and Wenhao Zhao.

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