I am a researcher at the Centre for Mathematics of the University of Coimbra (CMUC) and the Doctoral Programme in Mathematics held jointly with the Centre for Mathematics of the University of Porto (CMUP). My work lies at the interface of algebra, logic and topology, for which I employ ideas from games, analysis and categories. A central theme of my work is to develop a game-semantic, graphical foundation of mathematics and apply it as a new approach to algebra, logic and topology, among many others, enriched with categorical and geometric methods. It is not a foundation for its own sake but a powerful generic tool that solves various problems in logic and pure mathematics. I live in the beautiful city of Coimbra–the ancient capital of Portugal–which has a strong academic tradition, an international environment, rich history and culture. 

Research interests: geometric group theory; (higher) category theory; graphical calculi; functional analysis; differential geometry; homotopy (type) theory; constructive mathematics; higher-order computability and complexity.

Why games and strings? My research is centred around a categorical structure arising in logic, analysis and geometry, and an initial object in the category of this structure is of particular interest. My games constitute such an initial object, which is unique (up to isomorphisms). In this sense, the games are not an option but a necessity. In addition, the games are finitely presentable by string diagrams, where the games and the strings are two sides of the same coin. They together provide a direct, concrete description of the initial object, which is not apparent by an abstract universal property alone, and they canonically induce hidden geometric and functional-analytic structures. I study these structures and apply them to a variety of topics in logic and pure mathematics. 

Supervision: I am looking for master and PhD students to work with me. Potential research topics include (higher) categories, homotopy (type) theory, geometry and complexity in logic, groups and analysis. Contact me if you are interested. 

CV: Before becoming a member of CMUC, I was a postdoctoral research scholar at INESC TEC (the University of Minho) and the University of Minnesota. I also had short-term positions at Kyoto University and Australian National University. I was a PhD student at the University of Oxford (cf. my mathematical genealogy).