Interests

Combinatorial, geometric and algorithmic group theory.
Combinatorics and theoretical computer science.

Details: see my publications

Equations, decision problems, complexity of algorithms, fixed subgroups, the Post Correspondence Problem in free, hyperbolic, relatively hyperbolic, Artin, Coxeter groups;
Group actions on trees, Λ-trees;
Formal languages and growth in groups;
Analytic properties of groups;
Computation in solvable and nilpotent groups;

My group

  • Mireille Soergel (postdoc TU Berlin, May 2025 - )
  • Alex Evetts (postdoc Heriot-Watt, May - August 2021)
  • Alan Logan (postdoc Heriot-Watt, Oct. 2018 - Oct. 2021)
  • Dominik Gruber (postdoc Neuchatel, Sept 2015 - August 2016, subsequently at ETH Zurich)
  • Maurice Chiodo (postdoc Neuchatel, Oct 2013 - Sept 2015, subsequently at the University of Cambridge)

  • Daniel Turaev (PhD student Heriot-Watt, start Jan. 2024, currently at TU Berlin)
  • Oli Jones (PhD student Heriot-Watt and TU Berlin, start Sept. 2022)
  • Gemma Crowe (PhD student Heriot-Watt, Sept. 2020 - Sept. 2024, currently Heilbronn Fellow, U. Manchester)
  • Alex Levine (PhD student Heriot-Watt, Sept. 2018 - May 2022, currently postdoc U. East Anglia, previously Heilbronn Fellow, U. Manchester)
  • Alex Evetts (PhD 2020 Heriot-Watt, currently Heilbronn Fellow, U. Manchster; employment after PhD: LMS fellow Newcastle, ESI Vienna fellow)
  • Julie Brönnimann (PhD 2016 Neuchatel, co-supervised with Alain Valette, employment after PhD: Pricing Modelling Analyst at BGL Group, UK)
  • Valentin Mercier (PhD 2017 Neuchatel, employment after PhD: postdoc at University of Lisbon, Portugal)
  •                

    Grants

  • Heilbronn Institute Research Grant (with Joel Day, 2024)
  • LMS Scheme 3 and Glasgow Math Journal Fund support for the North Britisch Geometric Group Theory (with Alex Martin, since 2022)
  • Swiss National Science Foundation Scientific Exchange grant (with George Metcalfe, 2023)
  • EPSRC Standard Grant (2018-2021)
  • Heilbronn Focused Reseach Group Grant (2018)
  • LMS Scheme 2 Grant, New Appointment Grant, and Care Grant (2017)
  • ICMS Follow On Grant (2017)
  • Germaine de Stael Franco-Swiss collaboration Grant (with Remi Coulon, 2016-2017)
  • Co-PI on ARC grant `The language complexity of problems in algebra and logic' (PI: Murray Elder) 2016-2018
  • Swiss National Science Foundation Professorship (2013-2017)
  • University of Neuchatel Overhead Grant (July 2013, July 2015)
  • Swiss National Science Foundation Ambizione Grant (2012-2015)
  • Marie Curie Re-Integration Grant (2008-2012)
  • University of Fribourg Overhead Grants (2011, 2012)
  • London Mathematical Society Scheme 2 Grant beneficiary (Jan. 2010, April 2013)
  • Marie Curie Intra-European Postdoctoral Fellowship (2005-2007)

    Recent talks (since 2023)

  • ETH Geometry Seminar, Feb. 2023
  • Colloquium, University of Fribourg, March 2023
  • `Groups of Dymnamical Origins, Automata and Spectrum’ conference, Les Diablerets, March 2023
  • Colloquium, University of Neuchatel, April 2023
  • Seminaire Darboux, Montpellier, April 2023
  • Colloquium, University of Bern, April 2023
  • Groups and Geometry Seminar, U. of Geneva, May 2023
  • First Balkan Conference of Mathematics (plenary speaker), Romania, July 2023
  • Romanian Algorithms Days (online), July 2023
  • Counting Problems in Groups LMS meeting, Lincoln UK, August 2023
  • Geometric Group Theory seminar, Oxford, Dec. 2023

  • GAGTA 2024, CIRM, Feb. 2024
  • New York Group Theory seminar (online) March 2024
  • Geometry and Topology seminar, Bristol, April 2024
  • Computer Science seminar, Oxford, May 2024
  • Groups, Logic and Computation conference (invited speaker), Stevens Institute of Technology (online), June 2024
  • European Math Congress, Seville, July 2024 (mini-symposion speaker)
  • DLT Goettingen (plenary speaker), August 2024
  • GEARS seminar (Edinburgh), September 2024
  • Groups and Geometry seminar, Geneva, October 2024
  • Friday MATH+ Colloquium, Berlin, Nov. 2024

  • Structure and Symmetry Day, Edinburgh, Jan. 2025
  • Model Theory Meets Geometric Group Theory, Muenster, Feb 2025
  • Colloquium, St. Andrews, March 2025
  • Colloquium, Leipzig, April 2025
  • Colloquium, Bielefeld, April 2025
  • Antrittsvorlesung, TU Berlin, April 2025
  • Groups, Logic and Computation/GAGTA 2025, Stevens NJ, June 2025
  • Advances in Group Theory and Applications, Napoli, June 2025
  • Northern German Group Theory Colloquium, Braunschweig, July 2025
  • Combinatorial Synergies Annual Conference, Hannover, Sept. 2025

    Professsional activities

  • London Math Society Computer Science Committee (since 2024)
  • London Math Society Nominating Committee (since 2023)
  • Maxwell Institue Co-director (since 2021)
  • North British Geometric Group Theory (NBGGT) network co-lead, with Alex Martin (since 2022)
  • PC ICALP, 2022
  • Steering Committee of GAGTA (since 2019)
  • Scientific Committee for Young Geometric Group Theory VIII (Bilbao, July 2019)
  • Member of AcademiaNet of leading women scientists since 2014.
  • Gave Doctoral Program Course, Bern, Fall 2014
  • Scientific Committee for Proof and Computation Winter School (Swiss Doctoral Program in Mathematics) Les Diablerets, 28 - 31.01.2013
  • Organizer of the Fribourg Weekend in Group Theory (Fribourg, 18.09-9.09.2012)
  • Co-organizer of the European Women in Mathematics Conference (Barcelona, 5.09-9.09.2011)
  • Co-organizer of the Geometric and Asymptotic Group Theory with Applications Conference (Manresa, 11.07-15.07.2011)
  • Scientific Committee Member of ALCOP 2011 (SMS Spring Meeting on Algebra and Coalgebra meet Proof Theory) (Bern, 27.04-29.04.2011)
  • Organizer of the Group Theory Spring School in Les Diablerets in March 7-12, 2010.
  • Co-organizer of the Geometry and Topology Seminar in Fribourg (2009-2012).
  • Co-organizer of the European Women in Mathematics Conference in Novi Sad, August 25-28, 2009.
  • Co-organizer in 2006 of the Algebra, Geometry and Combinatorics seminar at the University of Auckland.  
  • In 2000 I was the coordinator of the DIMACS  and VIGRE REU .
  • In 1999 I was awarded the Alice T. Schaffer Honorable Mention by the AWM.