Alexander Maxwell Tanaka

MA MSci Cantab, MA Oxon

Status

Postgraduate Student

+44 1865 283890

Contact form

ORCID iD

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5769-5497

Research groups

Research subgroups

Topological Data Analysis

Address

Mathematical Institute
University of Oxford
Andrew Wiles Building
Radcliffe Observatory Quarter
Woodstock Road
Oxford
OX2 6GG

Major / recent publications

Tanaka, A. M., Asaad, A. T., Cooper, R., & Nanda, V. (2025). A Morse Transform for Drug Discovery. Preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.04507

Tanaka, A. M., Gilkis, A., Izzard, R. G., & Tout, C. A. (2023). An optimal envelope ejection efficiency for merging neutron stars. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 522(1), 1140–1154. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad971

Teaching

General Relativity I, Part C, Mathematical Institute

Marker (MT23)

Software Engineering, Doctoral Training Centre

Demonstrator (MT21, MT22, MT23)

Research interests

Drug discovery

Geometric and topological machine learning

Piecewise-linear Morse theory

Shape analysis

Topological data analysis (TDA)

Further details

I am a DPhil (PhD) student supervised by Prof. Vidit Nanda and Dr Aras T. Asaad (Oxford Drug Design). I am funded by the EPSRC SABS:R³ Centre for Doctoral Training.

My research fits under the umbrella of the flourishing field of topological data analysis and spans computational algebraic topology, drug discovery and machine learning. Currently, I work on characterising simplicial complexes using a novel transform inspired by piecewise-linear Morse theory with applications in ligand-based virtual screening of drug candidates.

I have a bachelor's and master's degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge. My master's thesis investigated the effect of the physics of the common-envelope-evolution phase on the rate of merging neutron stars and lead to a publication.