Welcoming Eleven New Affiliated Researchers to the Centre de Recerca Matemàtica

From left to right, top to bottom: Carles Broto (UAB-CRM), Álvaro Corral (UAB-CRM), Wolfgang Pitsch (UAB-CRM), Richard Lang (UPC – CRM), Simeon Ball (UPC – CRM), Lluís Vena (UPC – CRM),  Jorge Antezana (UB-CRM), Leticia Pardo (UB-CRM), Guillem Blanco (UPC – CRM), Manuel Molano (UPC – CRM) and Marc Calvo (UPC – CRM).

Joining the CRM community are Carles Broto, Álvaro Corral, and Wolfgang Pitsch from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB); Jorge Antezana and Leticia Pardo from the Universitat de Barcelona (UB); as well as Simeon Ball, Guillem Blanco, Marc Calvo Schwarzwälder, Richard Lang, Manuel Molano-Mazón, and Lluís Vena from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). Their varied experience covers diverse areas of mathematics, such as algebraic geometry and topology, complex systems, functional and harmonic analysis, holomorphic dynamics, mathematical modelling, optimization, combinatorics, and neuroscience.

The CRM is delighted to announce the addition of eleven new affiliated researchers to the institution. Their expertise and dedication to their respective fields will undoubtedly contribute to our ongoing mission of advancing knowledge and innovation.

From the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB):

• Carles Broto: Renowned for his work in algebraic topology, he received his PhD in Mathematics from the UAB in 1998 and has held postdoctoral positions at Ohio State University and the Mathematisches Institut in Heidelberg. His research focuses on unstable homotopy theory, finite groups, compact Lie groups, and fusion systems. Some of his notable works include studies on homotopy equivalences of p-completed classifying spaces of finite groups and the homotopy theory of fusion systems.
• Álvaro Corral: A principal investigator at the Centre de Recerca Matemàtica (CRM) from 2007 to 2024, he is now associated with the Mathematics Department at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. He obtained his PhD from the Universitat de Barcelona in 1997. His research focuses on the behaviour of complex systems, with special attention to natural hazards such as earthquakes and hurricanes, as well as communication systems like human language and music. Some of his notable works include studies on finite-size scaling of human-population distributions and power law size distributions in geoscience.
• Wolfgang Pitsch: Specialized in algebraic geometry and topology, he completed his PhD at Université Paris Diderot in 2001 and has held research positions at the University of Lausanne and Université Paris Diderot. His research interests include homotopy theory, group theory, and algebraic structures. Some of his notable works include studies on homotopy invariance of higher signatures and 3-manifold groups and volumes of SL(n, C)-representations of hyperbolic 3-manifolds.

From the Universitat de Barcelona (UB):

• Jorge Antezana: Obtained his PhD in Mathematics from the National University of La Plata in 2006 and has held postdoctoral positions at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. His research focuses on functional analysis, harmonic analysis, approximation, and operator theory, often intersecting with mathematical physics and quantum mechanics. He is an editor of the Argentinian Mathematical Union. Some of his notable works include studies on necessary conditions for interpolation by multivariate polynomials and density conditions for sampling sets in convex domains.
• Leticia Pardo: Received her PhD at the University of Liverpool in 2019 and has held postdoctoral positions at The University of Manchester, MSRI, and IM PAN. Her research interests include holomorphic dynamics, complex analysis, and fractal geometry. Some of her notable works include studies on grand orbit relations in wandering domains and entire functions with Cantor bouquet Julia sets.

From the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC):

• Simeon Ball: Completed his PhD in finite geometry at the University of Sussex in 1994. He specializes in error-correcting codes, finite geometries, and graphs. He has published several books and numerous papers on these topics. Some of his notable works include studies on maximal arcs in finite projective planes and the application of algebraic curves to coding theory.
• Guillem Blanco: Received his PhD at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. His research interests include algebraic geometry and the study of algebraic and analytical singularities. He is particularly interested in the interaction between the birational study of singularities and the D-module theoretic approach. Some of his notable works include studies on the topological roots of the Bernstein-Sato polynomial of plane curves and the monodromy conjecture for semi-quasihomogeneous hypersurfaces.
• Marc Calvo Schwarzwälder: Completed his PhD at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. His work involves developing mathematical models and algorithms to solve complex optimization problems in various fields, including physical and chemical processes like nanoscale heat transfer and phase change. Some of his notable works include studies on hydrodynamic heat transport in compact and holey silicon thin films and the Stefan problem with variable thermophysical properties and phase change temperature.
• Richard Lang: Obtained his PhD at the University of Chile. His research focuses on extremal and probabilistic combinatorics, with particular interest in embedding problems, (hyper)graph decompositions, and Ramsey theory. Some of his notable works include studies on minimum degree conditions for tight Hamilton cycles and monochromatic cycle partitioning.
• Manuel Molano-Mazón: An expert in mathematical modeling and simulation, his research spans neuroscience and computational biology, particularly on the development of models to understand neural population activity and sensory processing. Some of his notable works include studies on contact repulsion controlling the dispersion and final distribution of Cajal-Retzius cells and statistical wiring of thalamic receptive fields optimizing spatial sampling of the retinal image.
• Lluís Vena: Received his PhD at the University of Toronto in 2014. His research interests include extremal graph theory, Ramsey theory, graph polynomials, and additive number theory. Some of his notable works include studies on extremal families for the Kruskal-Katona theorem and homomorphisms between graphs embedded on surfaces.

We are pleased to welcome these researchers to our community and look forward to the contributions they will bring to the CRM. Their diverse expertise will undoubtedly add to our research capabilities and foster new collaborations in various fields of mathematics and science.