Information for potential PhD students in
geometry or topology at Cambridge

Bandy

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Caucher Birkar

Am I taking PhD students for 2012?

Yes, I'd consider taking a student.

What do I do, and what would I like my student to do?

I am an algebraic geometer working on problems in birational geometry (e.g., minimal models, abundance, Iitaka problem, etc). Ideally, I would like the student to write a Part III essay with me.

What 2011-2012 Part III courses do I strongly recommend if you'd like to become my student?

Algebraic Geometry and Commutative Algebra. Complex Manifolds is also recommended.

Danny Calegari

Am I taking PhD students for 2012?

Yes, I would take a student.

What do I do, and what would I like my students to do?

I am interested in geometry, geometric group theory, low-dimensional topology and dynamics, and connections between these subjects. I am interested in "extremal" topological problems, where the extremal solution makes contact with geometry.

What 2011-2012 Part III courses do I strongly recommend if you'd like to become my student?

I recommend you take any part III course that I teach.

Current students:

Alden Walker and Steven Frankel.

Ian Grojnowski

Alexei Kovalev: information for potential PhD students

Gabriel Paternain

Jake Rasmussen:

Am I taking PhD students for 2012?

Yes, I would consider taking a student.

What do I do, and what would I like my students to do?

I'm a topologist. The sort of problems I'd suggest to students are drawn from the topology of knots, three- and four-manifolds, and related areas. (For example, my current student is working on contact topology in three-dimensions.)

What 2011-2012 Part III courses do I strongly recommend if you might want to become my student?

Michaelmas: Algebraic Topology, Differential Geometry
Lent: Knots and 4-Manifolds

Current student:

Marco Golla (finishing this year).

Julius Ross

Am I taking PhD students for 2012?

Yes, I would consider taking a student.

What do I do, and what would I like my student to do?

I study algebraic geometry over the complex numbers using techniques from both algebraic geometry and complex analysis. In particular I am interested in problems around the topic of stability and its relation to canonical Kahler metrics.

What 2011-2012 Part III courses do I strongly recommend if you'd like to become my student?

Michaelmas: Differential Geometry, Algebraic Geometry
Lent: Complex Manifolds
It would also be helpful to consider taking the Part III essay that I am setting.

Current student:

Anton Isopoussu (started 2010)

Nick Shepherd-Barron

Ivan Smith:

Am I taking PhD students for 2012?

Yes, I'd consider taking a student.

What do I do, and what would I like my student to do?

I am interested in symplectic topology, amongst other things its appearance in low-dimensional topology and in mirror symmetry, and in the symplectic properties of algebraic varieties. Much of my recent work concerns Floer cohomology theories and holomorphic curves.

What 2011-2012 Part III courses do I strongly recommend if you might want to become my student?

Michaelmas: Algebraic topology, Differential geometry, Symplectic geometry.
Lent: Complex manifolds, Knots and four-manifolds.
[And an essay in something geometric, ideally something relevant.]

Present and past students:

Present: Richard Harris (started 2008). Past: Mark McLean (PhD 2008), Jonny Evans (PhD 2010), Jack Waldron (PhD 2010),

Burt Totaro:

Am I taking PhD students for 2012?

Yes, probably.

What do I do, and what would I like my students to do?

I am an algebraic geometer, with side interests in topology and Lie groups. A student who does not enjoy algebraic geometry should look elsewhere.

What 2011-2012 Part III courses do I strongly recommend if you might want to become my student?

Michaelmas: Algebraic topology; Algebraic geometry; Commutative algebra; perhaps Lie Algebras.
Lent: Some possibilities are Abelian varieties; Galois cohomology; Complex manifolds.
You should also do a Part III essay in a subject related to algebraic geometry.

Present and past students:

John Christian Ottem, started 2010; Marcus Zibrowius, PhD 2011; Carl McTague, PhD 2010; Dinesh Deshpande, PhD 2009; Charles Vial, PhD 2009; Artie Prendergast-Smith, PhD 2009; Mark MacDonald, PhD 2008; Pierre Guillot, PhD 2004.

Neshan Wickramasekera

Pelham Wilson