MATRIX 2020

MATRIX is Australia’s international, residential mathematical research institute. MATRIX was established in 2015 by the University of Melbourne assisted by funding from ACEMS. In 2016, Monash University joined the University of Melbourne and ACEMS became an Associate Member.

MATRIX provides key infrastructure for facilitating and supporting research in the mathematical sciences in Australia and the broader Asia-Pacific. Since its inception, these programs have hosted over 1,100 scientists from 40 countries, with close to equal representation from Australian-based and international participants.

The MATRIX team consists of ACEMS Chief Investigator Jan de Gier (Director), David Wood and Peter Bouwknegt (Deputy Directors), Tom Keegan (Executive Officer) and Joy Lukman (Program Officer). It is guided by a distinguished international advisory board and an independent scientific committee.

In 2020, MATRIX was delighted to announce that the Australian National University has joined The University of Melbourne and Monash University in a three-way partnership. This is a big step forward.

MATRIX was also thrilled to welcome The University of Queensland as a second Associate Member of the institute in addition to ACEMS, commencing 2021.

Late in 2020, MATRIX received the exciting news of the award of US$600,000 over three years in funding from US based Simons Foundation through its Targeted Grants to Institutes program to support fundamental research in the mathematical sciences; a clear recognition of the significance of MATRIX as infrastructure for mathematical science research collaboration in Australia and the Asia-Pacific. The Simons Foundation was established by the founder, Jim Simons, of the hedge fund Renaissance Technologies which manages the world’s most successful investment fund Medallion. The new alliance with the Simons Foundation is an enormous opportunity for Australia.

Due to the impact of Covid-19, MATRIX was limited to hosting two research programs in-person at Creswick in 2020, but these were both highly successful:

• Early Career Researchers Workshop on Geometric Analysis and PDEs
• Harmonic Analysis and Dispersive PDEs: Problems and Progress.

The two in-person research programs spanned 3 weeks, attracting 56 scientists from 11 countries.

MATRIX was delighted to host its first online research program: 24hr Operad Pop-Up. The conference was well attended with 165 scientists participating from around the world. Participants included eminent researchers, early career researchers, PhD students and a small number from commercial enterprises.

MATRIX now also proudly hosts an international online seminar series featuring high profile speakers, and has partnered with the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) to host online PhD student symposia, and with the Sydney Mathematical Research Institute (SMRI) to host a joint online multi-week symposium.

Watch one of the highlights of the MATRIX online seminar series

In 2020, MATRIX released its third edition in its book series, 2018 MATRIX Annals, published by Springer. This book is a scientific record of the eight research programs held at MATRIX in 2018. A fourth edition, 2019-2020 MATRIX Annals, will be published in early 2021.

MATRIX looks forward to a busy 2021, with 12 research programs planned:

• SMRI-MATRIX Symposium with Martin Hairer
• Spatial Structure in Population Models: Bridging Theory and Data
• Integrability and Combinatorics at Finite Temperature
• Monte Carlo Algorithms in Statistical Mechanics
• Structured Random Matrices in Down Under: New Developments and Applications
• Cartan Subalgebras in Operator Algebras
• Cell Motility in Dynamic Environments
• Mathematics of Tissue Dynamics
• Elliptic Partial Differential Equations, Geometry, and the Calculus of Variations
• Isoperimetric Inequalities in Geometric Partial Differential Equations
• Groups and Geometries
• Quantum Curves, Integrability and Cluster Algebras

MATRIX will also partner with Mathematisches Forchungsinstitut Oberworlfach (MFO, Germany) in 2021 to host two online research tandem workshops. Each workshop will take place simultaneously in parallel at both institutes and will interact via a common online conference platform enabled by high resolution audio-visual technology. A first for both institutes.

Further information: www.matrix-inst.org.au

MATRIX is deeply grateful for the continued support from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS), without which it would not be able to support the mathematical sciences in Australia at the level that it does today.