Organizers: Spencer Dowdall, Dan Margalit, Denis Osin

Time: Wednesdays, 4:10–5:00pm  

Location: SC 1432

Mailing List: If you would like to be added to the seminar mailing list and receive regular announcements, please contact one of the organizers.

Fall 2025 - Spring 2026

Wednesday, September 10

Dan Margalit (Vanderbilt)

Title:  Algorithms for pseudo-Anosov maps

Abstract: In joint work with Strenner, Taylor, and Yurttas, we give an algorithm whose input is a product of Dehn twists and whose output is the Nielsen-Thurston type of the associated mapping class, along with the associated data: period, reducing curves, stretch factor, and foliations.  Our main theorem explains why Mark Bell's program Flipper works. We aim to make the talk accessible to students learning about mapping class groups.

Wednesday, September 17

Denis Osin (Vanderbilt)

Title: Simple p-adic Lie groups with abelian Lie algebras

Abstract: For each prime p and each positive integer d, we construct the first examples of second countable, topologically simple, p-adic Lie groups of dimension d with abelian Lie algebras. This answers a question asked by P.-E. Caprace and N. Monod. In my talk, I will survey the necessary background material and explain why this question is of fundamental importance in the theory of p-adic Lie groups. Perhaps surprisingly, the proof of the main result makes use of small cancellation techniques in groups acting on hyperbolic spaces. Geometric ideas come into play through a general construction that associates a non-discrete, totally disconnected topological group with any discrete group satisfying a certain algebraic condition. The talk is based on joint work with P.-E. Caprace and A. Minasyan.

Wednesday, September 24

TBA

Wednesday, October 1

Nic Brody (UC Santa Cruz) 

Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA

Host: Talia Fernos

Wednesday, October 15

TBA

Wednesday, October 22

Thomas Hill (University of Utah)

Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA

Host: Spencer Dowdall

Wednesday, October 29

TBA

Wednesday, November 5

Daniel Groves (University of Illinois, Chicago)

Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA

Host: Talia Fernos

Wednesday, November 12

TBA

Wednesday, November 19

Tina Torkaman (University of Chicago)

Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA

Host: Spencer Dowdall

Wednesday, November 19

TBA

Wednesday, December 3

TBA

Wednesday, January 14

TBA

Wednesday, January 21

TBA

Wednesday, January 28

TBA

Wednesday, February 4

TBA

Wednesday, February 11

TBA

Wednesday, February 18

Anush Tserunyan (McGill University)

Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA

Host: Denis Osin

Wednesday, February 25

TBA

Wednesday, March 4

TBA

Wednesday, March 18

TBA

Wednesday, March 25

TBA

Wednesday, April 1

TBA

Wednesday, April 8

TBA

Wednesday, April 15

TBA