Invited Talks

by Professor Sormani

Videos of Key Past Talks 

• • See my website of videos 

Selected Invited Talks:

• • MSRI New Frontiers in Curvature (August-December, 2024)
    TBA

  • AMS Sectional Meeting, Howard Univ, Wash DC (April 2024) (SLIDES)
    ``Sequences of Warped Product Manifolds with Positive Scalar Curvature"

  • Recent Advances in Comparison Geometry, Hangzhou (Feb, 2024)
    ``An Extreme Limit of Manifolds with Positive Scalar Curvature"  (SLIDES) (VIDEO)

  • Oberwolfach Workshop, Germany (Feb, 2024)
    ``An Extreme Limit of Manifolds with Positive Scalar Curvature" (SLIDES)

  • International Conference on Geometric Analysis of Ricci Curvature, Guangxi, China (Jan, 2024)
    ``Null Compactifiable Spacetimes and Convergence" (SLIDES) (could not travel, presented online)

  • SCGP Workshop (Sept 18-22, 2023) (SLIDES)  (VIDEO with Huisken ideas at the end)
    ``Progress Towards the Intrinsic Flat Stability of the Positive Mass Theorem and Penrose Inequality"

  • FIM in Honor of Ambrosio at ETH Zurich (Sept 11-15, 2023)
    could not travel for health reasons and was unable to present online

  • VIASM-ICTP Summer School on Differential Geometry in Hanoi (Aug 14-25, 2025)
    "Integral Current Spaces and Intrinsic Flat Convergence"   (SLIDES) (online)

  • Workshop on Intrinsic Flat Stability of the Positive Mass Theorem (June 2023) (SLIDES)
    ``A Survey on the Intrinsic Flat Stability of the Positive Mass Theorem"

  • Colloquium, Chinese University of Hong Kong (April 14-15, 2023) (online)
    ``Applying the Null Distance to Define Spacetime Intrinsic Flat Convergence"

  • ESI Non-regular Spacetime Geometry (March 13-24, 2023) (cannot travel)
      shared video of December 2022 talk with the participants

  • Low Regularity in Physics and Geometry Seminar, Fields Institute (Dec, 2022)
    ``Flat Convergence of Spacetimes"     (SLIDES) (VIDEO) (online)

  • Fields Workshop on Aspects of Ricci Curvature (Nov 14-18, 2022)
    ``Convergence of Future Maximal Developments" (cancelled due to illness)

  • NEWGA Plenary Address (Nov 5-6, 2022)
    ``Intrinsic Flat Convergence of Spaces arising in General Relativity"

  • Conference on Differential Geometry, Lehigh (October 14-16, 2022)
    ``Thoughts on Spacetime Intrinsic Flat Convergence" 

  • SCGP Recent Advances on Scalar Curvature (June 27-30, 2022)
    ``Compactness and Stability Conjectures"

  • Florence Differential Geometry and Geometric Analysis Conference (June 20-24, 2022)
    ``Curvature and integral current spaces" [SLIDES]

  • Barrett Memorial Lectures (June 9-12, 2022)
    ``Open Questions on Convergence and Scalar Curvature"

  • JoMaReC Seminar (May 5, 2022)
    ``Towards a Spacetime Intrinsic Flat Convergence" 

  • CMO BIRS Integral and Metric Geometry Workshop (May 2-3, 2022)
    ``Integral Current Spaces and their Properties''  (VIDEO) (SLIDES)

  • GNOSC Seminar [IHES VIDEO] (February 4, 2022)
    ``Sequences of Manifolds with Lower Bounds on Scalar Curvature"

  • Topology/Geometry Zoom Seminar, U Oregon (December 14, 2021)
    ``Convergence and Scalar Curvature"

  • BOWL Seminar, Brussels, Oxford, Warwick, and London (Nov 16, 2021)
    ``Scalar Curvature and VF Convergence"

  • Yale Geometric Analysis and Applications Seminar (Sept 10, 2021)
    ``Scalar Curvature and VF Convergence"

  • Fourier Institute Summer School Lectures (VIDEOS) (June 21-25, 2021)
    ``Intrinsic Flat and Gromov-Hausdorff Convergence” (slides)

  • Institut Henri Poincare a five lecture course, Paris, (2020) (cancelled)

  • Tenth International Meeting on Lorentzian Geometry, Cordoba (cancelled)

  • CMSA, Harvard University, (postponed indefinitely due to pandemic)

  • Yale University SUMRY Colloquium, (July 31, 2019)
    ``Filling Riemannian Manifolds with Integral Current Spaces”

  • Lehigh Geometry and Topology  A short talk  (slides) (June 20, 2019)
    ``Convergence of Riemannian Manifolds and Metric Spaces"

  • Keynote Speaker at MAA Metro New York Annual Meeting (May 4, 2019)
    ``When do Sequences of Metric Spaces Converge?” (slides)

  • Invited Address AMS Spring Eastern Sectional Meeting, (April 13-14, 2019)
    ``Converging Sequences of Metric Spaces”(AMS Sampler) (slides)

  • Optimal Transport and Geometric Analysis Warwick in Venice (April 2019)
    ``Ricci Curvature and Intrinsic Flat Convergence”  (slides)

  • Mathematical Relativity at University of Miami, (Dec 13-15, 2018)
    ``Spacetime Intrinsic Flat Convergence'' (slides)

  • IAS Mean Curvature and Regularity Workshop, (Nov 5-9, 2018)
    ``Locating Minimal Surfaces in Geometrostatic Manifolds” [VIDEO]

  • Tufts Colloquium, (Sept 21, 2018)
    ``The Geometry of Black Holes and ADM Mass”

  • Queen Mary College, Geometric Analysis Days, London, (Oct 30-31, 2018)
    ``Spacetime Intrinsic Flat Convergence'' 

  • Oberwolfach: Mathematical General Relativity (August 2018)
    ``Spacetime Intrinsic Flat Convergence'' (report) 

  • Yale SUMRY Colloquium (July 11, 2018)
    ``Gromov-Hausdorff Convergence of Metric Spaces''

  • SCGP Mass in General Relativity, (March 2018)
    ``Spacetime Intrinsic Flat Convergence" (slides) [VIDEO]

  • Lehigh Geometry and Topology Conference (June 2018)
      session talk on ``Contrasting Notions of Convergence'' 

  • Stony Brook Math Day for undergraduates around New York (Spring 2018)
    ``The Geometry of Black Holes and Gravity Wells''

  • Explorations in Geometric Analysis: Discrete and Continuous in honor of J Dodziuk (January 2018)
    ``Limits of Manifolds with Positive Scalar Curvature'' 

  • Joint AMS Meeting Session on General Relativity (January 2018)
    ``The Null distance and Spacetime Intrinsic Flat Convergence"

  • Perspectiva Matematica at UNAM, a colloquium (November 2017) [VIDEO]
    ``Converging Sequences of Riemannian Manifolds"

  • MADGuyS Baltimore-Washington Metro Area Differential Geometry Seminar (October 2017)    ``Gromov's Conjecture on the Intrinsic Flat Limits of Manifolds with Nonnegative Scalar Curvature"

  • Princeton: Differential Geometry and Geometric Analysis Seminar (September 2017)
    ``Almost Rigidity of the Positive Mass Theorem" 

  • Stony Brook: Geometry and Topology Seminar (September 2017)
    ``Rectifiability of Gromov-Hausdorff Limits"

  • MIT: Geometric Analysis Seminar (September 2017)
    ``Almost Rigidity Theorems with Nonnegative Scalar Curvature"

  • Fields Institute, Toronto, Canada (July 10-21, 2017)
    A Five Lecture Course on Convergence and Scalar Curvature  [VIDEOS]

  • Erwin Schroedinger Institute, an invitation to visit and give a talk but had to cancel all August travel (2017),

  • Stony Brook Geometry/Topology Seminar (February, 2017)
    "Convergence of Manifolds with Nonnegative Scalar Curvature"

  • Geometric Analysis and General Relativity AMS Special Session (March, 2017)
    A survey talk: "Scalar Curvature and Intrinsic Flat Convergence"

  • 32nd Geometry Festival (March, 2017)
    Colloquium address: "Open Questions on Convergence and Curvature" 

  • Union College Math Conference (December 3-4, 2016)
    Plenary Address: "Converging Spaces and their ADM Mass"

  • Reflections on Global Riemannian Geometry, for Karsten Grove (August 18-21, 2016)
    Plenary Address: "Intrinsic Flat Convergence of Manifolds with Nonnegative Scalar Curvature" 

  • BIRS Geometric Analysis and General Relativity Workshop in Banff, Canada (July 17-22, 2016)
    "Almost Rigidity of the Positive Mass Theorem"  (video)

  • Geometric Analysis on Riemannian and Singular Metric Spaces in Como, Italy (July 11-16, 2016)
    A 4 hour Summer Course on Gromov Hausdorff and Intrinsic Flat Convergence   (course notes)

  • Lehigh Geometry and Topology Conference (May 27-29, 2016)
    A plenary lecture: Recent Results on Intrinsic Flat Convergence

  • Static Metrics and Bartnik's Conjecture Conference in Tübingen, Germany (May 17-20, 2016)
    "Geometrostatic Manifolds of Small ADM Mass" (joint work with Iva Stavrov)

  • University of Connecticut, Colloquium (April 14, 2016)  "Stability of the Positive Mass Theorem" (joint work with Dan Lee and Lan-Hsuan Huang)

  • Rutgers University Geometry and Topology Seminar  (Feb 9, 2016)
    "Intrinsic Flat Convergence and Sliced Filling Volumes" (joint work with J Portegies)

  • Differential Geometry: Connections for Women, MSRI (January 14-15, 2016)
    "Sliced Filling Volumes and Intrinsic Flat Convergence"

  • BIRS WIG Workshop in Banff, Canada (November 1-6, 2015)
    "Gromov-Hausdorff and Intrinsic Flat Convergence"

  • Texas Geometry and Topology Conference at Rice University (November 6-8, 2015)
    "Sliced Filling Volumes and the Tetrahedral Compactness Theorem" (joint w/ J Portegies)

  • USTC Summer School in Hefei, China (July 6-24, 2015)
    A 3 Week Course on Ricci Curvature, Gromov-Hausdorff and Intrinsic Flat Convergence

  • East China Normal University Geometric Analysis Seminar in Shanghai, China (July 13, 2015)
    "Intrinsic Flat Convergence of Riemannian Manifolds"

  • Workshop on Ricci Curvature, Northwestern University (May 28-31, 2015)
    "Convergence of Manifolds with Boundary" joint work with R. Perales

  • Winterschool on Geometry and Optimal Transport, Uni Bonn (February 21-28, 2015)
    A Series of 5 Lectures on Intrinsic Flat Convergence and its Applications

  • Southern California Geometric Analysis Seminar, UCSD (February 7-8, 2015)
    ``Convergence of manifolds with nonnegative Scalar curvature and mass bounds'' (pdf file)

  • Analysis/Geometry/PDE Seminar, Fordham University (10/22/2014)
    ``Convergence of Isolated Gravitational Systems"

  • Geometric Analysis and Relativity at USTC, Hefei, China (7/6-10/2014)
    ``Applications of the convergence of manifolds to problems arising in general relativity''

  • Columbia University (4/25/2014)
    "Intrinsic flat convergence and continuity of the Hawking mass"

  • Rutgers University (4/15/2014)
    "Compactness of sequences of manifolds with nonnegative scalar curvature and bounded Hawking mass"

  • Workshop on Infinite-Dimensional Geometry, UC Berkeley (December 7-8, 2013)
    "Intrinsic Flat Metric and PreCompactness of Spaces of Riemannian Manifolds (slides)

  • Stony Brook Geometry Seminar (Nov 26 or Dec 3, 2013)
    ``Applications of the Intrinsic Flat Convergence of Riemannian Manifolds"

  • MSRI Evans Lecture (Nov 4, 2013)
    ``A Compactness Theorem for Sequences of Rectifiable Metric Spaces"

  • Stanford Geometry Seminar (October 21, 2013)
    "The Intrinsic Flat Distance and Open Questions Concerning Almost Rigidity of Riemannian Manifolds"

  • MSRI Program on Optimal Transportation: Geometry and Dynamics, (August 22-23, 2013)
    Introductory Lecture on "Convergence of manifolds and metric measure spaces" [VIDEO]

  • ICMS Ricci Curvature Workshop, Edinburgh, Invited Lecturer (July 1-12, 2013)
    "Comparison Geometry with Ricci Bounds through Gromov-Hausdorff Convergence" (3-4 lectures, webpage)

  • Lehigh Geometry and Topology Conference, session speaker, (May 24-26, 2013)
    "The Sliced Filling Volume and new Compactness Theorems for Sequences of Riemannian manifolds."

  • Rice University, Seminar Speaker (April 18, 2013)
    "Intrinsic Flat Convergence and Integral Current Spaces"

  • U Penn, Differential Geometry Seminar and followup seminar (March 21-22, 2013)
    "Intrinsic Flat Convergence and Smooth Convergence away from Singular Sets"

  • Urbana Champaign, Seminar Speaker (March 12, 2013)
    "Integral Current spaces, Sliced Filling Volumes and the Tetrahedral Property"

  • UC San Diego, Seminar Speaker (January 8, 2013)
    "The Tetrahedral Property and Intrinsic Flat Convergence"

  • Alexandrov Centenary Geometry Meeting, Euler International Mathematics Institute
    and Steklov St. Petersburg, invited speaker (August 20-24, 2012) (invited but unable to obtain visa)
    "Applications of the Intrinsic Flat Distance between Riemannian Manifolds"  (presentation)

  • Oberwolfach: Mathematical Aspects of General Relativity, invited speaker (July 29 - August 4, 2012)
    "The Intrinsic flat convergence as a means of defining weak convergence of manifolds" (report)

  • Lehigh Geometry and Topology Conference Contributed Talk (May 26, 2012)
    "Properties of Intrinsic Flat Convergence" (blackboard) (preprints)

  • Midwest Geometry Conference Plenary Address (May 12-13, 2012)
    "The Positive Mass Theorem, the Penrose Inequality and the Intrinsic Flat Distance" (preprints)

  • Rutgers Camden EWIS Seminar (March 30, 2012)
    "Converging Spaces" (a general audience talk)

  • MIT Geometric Analysis Seminar, (February 15, 2012)
    "Properties of the Intrinsic Flat Convergence" (blackboard)

  • Joint Mathematics Meeting, MAA Invited Paper Session on Decoding Geometry, (January 5, 2012)
    "Distances between Riemannian Manifolds"

  • University of Vienna, Gravitational Physics Seminar (October 13, 2011)
    "The Stability of the Riemannian Positive Mass Theorem and the Intrinsic Flat Distance"

  • ETH Zurich Analysis Seminar (October 11, 2011)
    "Near Equality in the Riemannian Positive Mass Theorem and the Penrose Inequality"

  • Oberwolfach: Partial Differential Equations Workshop (August 11, 2011) invited speaker
    "Intrinsic Flat Convergence and Stability of the Positive Mass Theorem"

  • Pacific Northwest Geometry Seminar, University of Washington in Seattle, (May 7-8, 2011)
    "The Positive Mass Theorem, the Penrose Inequality and the Intrinsic Flat Distance" (presentation)

  • Stony Brook Geometry/Topology Seminar (April 12, 2011)
    ``Estimating the Intrinsic Flat Distance" (blackboard)

  • MIT Geometric Analysis Seminar, (March 2011)
    "Intrinsic Flat Convergence of Riemannian Manifolds and Integral Current Spaces"

  • Harvard University Differential Geometry Seminar, (March 2011)
    "Applications of Intrinsic Flat Convergence" (blackboard) 

  • Dartmouth University Geometry and Topology Seminar, (February 2011)
    "Applications of Intrinsic Flat Convergence" (blackboard)

  • MIT D.W.Weeks Lecture, (February 2011)
    "An Almost Isotropic Universe" (blackboard)

  • UC Santa Barbara, Differential Geometry Seminar (October 8, 2010)
    "Intrinsic Flat Convergence of Riemannian Manifolds and Integral Current Spaces"

  • Global Geometric Analysis, AMS Western Sectional Special Session, UCLA, (October 9-10, 2010).
    "Intrinsic Flat Distance between Riemannian Manifolds with Boundary"

  • Interactions between Geometry and Analysis, Notre Dame University, (October 21-24, 2010).
    "Intrinsic Flat Convergence of Riemannian Manifolds and Integral Current Spaces"

  • Columbia University, Geometric Analysis Seminar (February 12, 2009),
    "A new convergence for oriented Riemannian manifolds with boundary" (see webpage)

  • Harvard University, Differential Geometry Seminar (February 17, 2009),
    "Intrinsic flat convergence of Riemannian manifolds" (see webpage)

  • Dartmouth University, Geometry and Topology Seminar (February 19, 2009),
    "The intrinsic flat distance between Riemannian manifolds" (see webpage)

  • Dartmouth University, Colloquium (February 19, 2009),
    "Distances between Riemannian Manifolds and Metric Spaces"

  • AMS Meeting Special Session Urbana Champagne (March 27-29, 2009),
    "A new distance between Riemannian manifolds"

  • Twenty-Fourth Annual Geometry Festival, (April 17-19, 2009), SUNY Stony Brook
    "The Intrinsic Flat Distance between Riemannian Manifolds"(see webpage)

  • NYU Poly, Colloquium (April 23, 2009)
    "On the Hamilton-Perelman proof of the Poincare Conjecture", a Poincare talk,

  • Workshop on Riemannian and Non-Riemannian Geometry, (August 8-9, 2009), IUPUI, Indianapolis,
    The Intrinsic flat distance between oriented Riemannian manifolds (see webpage)

  • Johns Hopkins University (October 12, 2009)
    "The Intrinsic flat distance between oriented Riemannian manifolds" (see webpage)

  • University of Pennsylvania (November 12, 2009)
    "The Intrinsic flat distance between oriented Riemannian manifolds" (see webpage)

  • Rutgers University (December 1, 2009)
    "The Intrinsic flat distance between oriented Riemannian manifolds" (see webpage)

  • University of Arizona Math Colloquium and Seminar, (Jan 24-5, 2008)

  • Southeast Geometry Conference, University of South Carolina (March 14-15, 2008)
    Plenary: Understanding the Topology of Manifolds with Nonnegative Ricci Curvature.

  • UNAM Workshop in Global Riemannian Geometry, (May 12-18, 2008),

  • Seminaire Borel: New Approaches to Curvature Summer School, Les Diablerets, Switzerland (August 24-30, 2008),
    Minicourse on the Covering Spectrum

  • Brown University, Xtreme Geometry seminar (Thursday, March 1, 2007)
    a covering spectrum talk

  • University of Connecticut, Geometry Seminar (Tuesday, March 13, 2007)
    a covering spectrum talk

  • Texas Geometry and Topology Conference (March 23-25, 2007)
    Various Covering Spectra and Shift Spectra,

  • Tufts University Colloquium, (Friday, March 30, 2007)
    a Poincare Conjecture talk

  • NYU Differential Geometry and Topology Seminar (Friday, April 6, 2007),
    a covering spectrum talk, related preprint

  • U Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Differential Geometry Seminar (Thursday, April 12, 2007)
    Almost Isotropy.

  • Bloomington Geometry Workshop (April 13-15, 2007)
    Cut-off Covering Spectra and Gromov-Hausdorff Convergence, related preprint

  • Midwest Geometry Conference (Spring 2006),
    Topology and Ricci Curvature

  • Princeton University Geometric Analysis Seminar (Spring 2006),
    Friedmann cosmology

  • Semi-Annual Workshop in Dynamical Systems and Related Topics (Fall 2006),
    Topology and Ricci Curvature

  • Cornell University Analysis Seminar (Fall 2006),
    Topology and Ricci Curvature

My 2006 Curriculum Vitae in pdf has more past talks listed.