Manchester Existential Closedness Workshop
7-10 July 2026
The University of Manchester (UK)
Manchester Existential Closedness Workshop
7-10 July 2026
The University of Manchester (UK)
Existential Closedness problems aim to determine when systems of equations in several variables involving addition, multiplication, and some special transcendental functions (e.g. exponential or modular functions) have solutions in the complex numbers. This is a natural question at the boundary between complex geometry and model theory, and is an extension of the well-known problem of solvability of systems of polynomial equations in several variables, settled by Hilbert's Nullstellensatz.
The first conjecture on Existential Closedness was proposed by Boris Zilber in the early 2000s in the exponential setting. It is known as the Exponential Closedness conjecture. In recent years, analogues of this conjecture for other functions, most notably the modular j-function, were formulated, and significant progress has been made towards them.
The aim of this meeting is to bring together world experts on Existential Closedness and related questions to share ideas and updates and work together to make further progress on these problems.
Dates: 7--10 July 2026
Venue: Alan Turing Building, University of Manchester
Confirmed speakers
Martin Bays
Paola D'Aquino
Sebastian Eterović
Jonathan Kirby
Vincenzo Mantova
Adele Padgett
Giuseppina Terzo
Alex Wilkie
Boris Zilber
Registration will open in February 2026
Pendulum Hotel Sackville Street
Ibis Manchester Centre Princess Street
Premier Inn Manchester City Centre Princess Street
Holiday Inn Express Manchester City Centre Oxford Road
Travelodge Manchester Upper Brook Street
Vahagn Aslanyan, Anna Dmitrieva
This workshop is supported by the EPSRC Open Fellowship EP/X009823/1.