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Mathematical Structures

Mathematical Structures

Physics often advances when crisp mathematical structures are uncovered in a framework developed to describe observed phenomena. For example, in quantum field theory there is a vast discrepancy between the current calculational difficulty in making predictions for experiments and the simple, mathematical form of the end result. The Amplitudes program seeks to explain and exploit this surprising simplicity by reformulating the basic mathematical tools used to make predictions.

Name Role Affiliations Email Phone Office Centers Research topics
Eugenio Bianchi Eugenio Bianchi Faculty Physics exb34@psu.edu +1 814 865 7533 315 Whitmore Laboratory CFT Black Holes, Loop Quantum Gravity, Mathematical Structures, Quantum Universe
Martin Bojowald Martin Bojowald Faculty Physics mob6@psu.edu +1 814 865 3502 304A Whitmore Laboratory CFT Loop Quantum Gravity, Mathematical Structures, Quantum Universe
Jacob Bourjaily Jacob Bourjaily Faculty Physics bourjaily@psu.edu +1 814 865 7533 321A Osmond Laboratory CFT Mathematical Structures
Jeffrey Case Jeffrey Case Faculty Math jqc5026@psu.edu +1 814 865 0326 221 McAllister McAllister CFT Mathematical Structures
Alexander Chasteen Alexander Chasteen Graduate Student Physics adc6103@psu.edu Na Desk 4 Whitmore Laboratory CFT Mathematical Structures
Pranav Diwakar Pranav Diwakar Graduate Student Physics pranavd@psu.edu +1 814 865 7533 204 Osmond Laboratory CFT Mathematical Structures
Patrick Donaghue Patrick Donaghue Graduate Student Math donaghue@psu.edu +1 814 865 7527 012 Whitmore Laboratory IGC Mathematical Structures
Mauricio Gamonal Mauricio Gamonal Graduate Student Physics mfg5767@psu.edu 322 Whitmore Laboratory CFT Loop Quantum Gravity, Mathematical Structures, Quantum Universe
James Kennington James Kennington Graduate Student Physics jwkennington@psu.edu +1 814 865 7533 Box 66 Whitmore Laboratory CFT Black Holes, Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves, Mathematical Structures
Samarth Khandelwal Samarth Khandelwal Undergraduate Student Math, Physics smk6968@psu.edu N/A 323 Whitmore Laboratory CFT, IGC Black Holes, Loop Quantum Gravity, Mathematical Structures
Adrian Ocneanu Adrian Ocneanu Faculty Math axo2@psu.edu +1 814 865 4061 225 McAllister CFT Mathematical Structures
Hamza Patwa Hamza Patwa Graduate Student Physics hfp5246@psu.edu 2109519804 N/A Thomas Building IGC Black Holes, Mathematical Structures, Physical Mathematics, Quantum Universe
Radu Roiban Radu Roiban Faculty Physics rsr10@psu.edu +1 814 863 5811 320F Osmond Laboratory CFT Mathematical Structures
Jonathan Shu Jonathan Shu Graduate Student Physics jds7269@psu.edu Osmond Laboratory CFT Black Holes, Mathematical Structures, Quantum Universe
Philip Velie Philip Velie Graduate Student Physics pkv5088@psu.edu n/a 114 Osmond Laboratory CFT Mathematical Structures
Yucun Xie Yucun Xie Graduate Student Physics yzx5296@psu.edu 0000000000 114 Osmond Laboratory IGC Black Holes, Gravitational Waves, Mathematical Structures
Ping Xu Ping Xu Faculty Math pxx2@psu.edu +1 814 865 3517 109B McAllister CFT Mathematical Structures
Yaqi Zhang Yaqi Zhang Graduate Student Physics yjz5289@psu.edu na Whitmore Laboratory CFT Mathematical Structures
Name Role Affiliations Email Phone Office Centers Research topics
Nilay Mancini Nilay Mancini Graduate Student Physics nkm5669@psu.edu +39 3317503656 321B Whitmore Laboratory IGC Mathematical Structures
Kokkimidis Patatoukos Kokkimidis Patatoukos Graduate Student Physics kzp326@psu.edu 814 699 1747 005 Osmond Laboratory CFT Mathematical Structures
Alireza Rashti Alireza Rashti Postdoc Physics akr6170@psu.edu +1 814 863 9605 314 Whitmore Laboratory IGC Astrostatistics, Black Holes, Mathematical Structures, Multimessenger Astrophysics, Neutrinos, Physical Mathematics, Dynamic Universe
About our wordmark
Monica Rincon Ramirez

The IGC wordmark was created by Monica Rincon Ramirez while she was a graduate student at the Institute. Monica enjoys drawing new connections between fundamental theory and observations. Her graduate work included general relativity, loop quantum gravity, and quantum fields in cosmological backgrounds; her thesis focused on effective quantum corrections to gravitational phenomena from spinfoams and applications to cosmology. She received her PhD in 2024.

The wordmark symbolizes the scope of research at the IGC. The base represents quantum gravity, evoking the quantum geometrical picture from spinfoams and loop quantum gravity — approaches studied at the Center for Fundamental Theory. The middle shows galaxies embedded in a smooth surface characteristic of spacetime in general relativity and the larger physical scales studied at the Center for Theoretical and Observational Cosmology. The top curves to an extreme representing a supermassive black hole accompanied by an energetic jet, with a binary black hole pair nearby — the high-energy phenomena studied at the Center for Multimessenger Astrophysics.