Mícheál Ó Cobhthaigh
Department of Mathematics
University of Virginia
Kerchof Hall
Office 121
Email: des5sf@virginia.edu
Mícheál Ó Cobhthaigh
Department of Mathematics
University of Virginia
Kerchof Hall
Office 121
Email: des5sf@virginia.edu
I am an Irish mathematician and a third-year PhD candidate at the University of Virginia, advised by Ben Hayes.
My research lies in operator algebras, specifically C*-algebras and von Neumann algebras. I am particularly interested in approximation properties, free products, graph products, and connections with geometric group theory and random matrix methods. More broadly, I am drawn to problems where analytic, algebraic, and probabilistic ideas interact. I also have applied interests in mathematical physics, quantum systems, machine learning, and photonic quantum computing, including collaborative work on AI-assisted methods for realizing non-trivial quantum operations.
I earned my M.A. in Mathematics from the University of Virginia. Before coming to UVa, I worked with Terry Loring in the Cerjan–Loring group at Sandia National Laboratories, applying K-theory of C*-algebras to topological insulators. During my stay I earned an M.S. in Mathematics from the University of New Mexico. Prior to that, I completed my B.A. (Hons) in Mathematics at Trinity College Dublin, where my final thesis, supervised by Donal O’Donovan, focused on Brown–Douglas–Fillmore theory.
TBA, in preparation.
Pureness and stable rank one for reduced twisted group C*-algebras of certain group extensions, with Felipe Flores, Mario Klisse, and Matteo Pagliero. Submitted for publication. arXiv:2601.19758
Selfless reduced free products and graph products of C*-algebras, with Felipe Flores, Mario Klisse, and Matteo Pagliero. Submitted for publication. arXiv:2510.24675