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.