KMI-Math School
〜 Bridges Between Physics and Mathematics 〜
Feb 9 - Feb 13, 2026
Embedded Files
About:
The aim of KMI-Math School is to introduce fascinating interactions between mathematics and physics, and to invite students and non-experts to such exciting fields. Both mathematicians and physicists are more than welcome to participate in, and the speakers will co-ordinate their lectures to clearly address the main idea. Our ultimate goal is to break the boundaries between mathematics and physics, and trigger new collaborations across the two.
This year, our focus is on topological recursion and related subjects. Topological recursion is a universal recursive structure that appears in many fields in mathematics and physics. We will start with a definition of topological recursion, and study how it is related to e.g. moduli spaces of curves and SYK models. If you are interested in some of the keywords below, KMI-Math school 2026 would be a great opportunity for you:
Keywords:
Moduli space of curves, cohomological field theories
Topological recursion, Airy structures
Large-N expansion, SYK models, JT gravity
Here is a drawing of the topological recursion formula. You will study what this picture tells us in mathematics and physics at the school :)
Speakers:
works at the interface of mathematics and physics and is interested in algebraic geometry that’s often inspired by physics in a broad sense. He did his PhD at the University of Alberta and spent a few years as a postdoc at MPIM Bonn and the University of Edinburgh before moving to UNED Madrid, where he’s currently based.
is an ETH Fellow and Hermann-Weyl-Instructor at ETH Zurich in Rahul Pandharipande’s group. Previously, he was a postdoc at IPhT Paris (ERC-SyG ReNewQuantum) and earned his PhD at MPIM Bonn. His research explores interactions between geometry and theoretical physics, especially enumerative geometry, topological recursion, integrable systems, resurgence and matrix models.
is a theoretical physicist at ETH Zürich interested in what gauge/string duality can teach us about the fundamental nature of spacetime. He did his PhD at Stanford with Prof. Sean Hartnoll after getting a taste for research as an undergraduate at MIT, and studying for the Maths tripos at Cambridge. Before ETH, he was a Kadanoff Fellow at the University of Chicago.
Registration:
Registration is free but mandatory. Please register through this link.
Deadline for Gong-Show is: December 15, 2025
Registration itself is open until January 31, 2026. In order to have a good estimate of the number of participants, however, we would greatly appreciate it if you register before Debember 15, 2025
Unfortunately, no financial support is available for participants.
Schedule:
Time table is to be finalised. Each speaker will give 4 x 90-min lectures, and in addition, there may be a Gong-Show session by participants.
Lecture Materials:
To be updated. Stay tuned!
Acknowledgements:
This event is supported by the Kobayashi-Maskawa Institute for the Origin of Particles and the Universe (KMI/Flap Proposals by Young Researchers).
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse