John Milnor wins the 2020 Russian Academy of Sciences Lomonosov Gold Medal

Congratulations to our colleague John Milnor for receiving the 2020 Russian Academy of Sciences Lomonosov Gold Medal.

The Lomonosov Gold Medal named after Russian scientist and polymath Mikhail Lomonosov, is awarded each year since 1959 for outstanding achievements in the natural sciences and the humanities by the USSR Academy of Sciences and later the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). Since 1967, two medals are awarded annually: one to a Russian and one to a foreign scientist. It is the Academy's highest accolade.

Congratulations to Xujia Chen, recipient of a President's Award to Distinguished Doctoral Students
Congratulations to Jack Burkart, recipient of a President's Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student
Thesis Defense: Decomposition Theorem for Semisimple Local Systems
Ruijie Yang
March 12, 2021

In complex algebraic geometry, the decomposition theorem asserts that semisimple geometric objects remain semisimple after taking direct images under proper algebraic maps. This was conjectured by Kashiwara and is proved by Mochizuki and Sabbah in a series of long papers via harmonic analysis and D-modules.

In this thesis defense, we would like to explain a simpler proof in the case of semisimple local systems, using a more geometric approach adapting de Cataldo- Migliorini. On the one hand, we complement Simpson’s theory of weights for local systems by proving a global invariant cycle theorem in the setting of local systems. On the other hand, we define a notion of polarization via Hermitian forms on pure twistor structures. This is partially based on joint work with Chuanhao Wei.

Many faces of renormalization
March 8-12, 2021

The goal of this Workshop is to explore connections between various aspects of Renormalization in Dynamics (unimodal and circle, holomorphic and cocyclic, Henon, KAM, and stochastic renormalizations) and Physics (QFT and statistical mechanics, fluid dynamics, and KPZ), which could help to reveal a unifying theme for all these phenomena.

This workshop is part of the Program: Renormalization and universality in Conformal Geometry, Dynamics, Random Processes, and Field Theory: February 3 – June 5, 2020. There will also be Renormalization retrospective: Feigenbaum Memorial Conference held right before (May 28-29, 2020).

Renormalization retrospective: Feigenbaum Memorial Conference
March 4-7, 2021

This Conference will pay tribute to the great discovery made by Feigenbaum in the mid 1970s and its ramifications (mostly in math) in the past 45 years. It will also serve as an introduction to the SCGP Workshop Many faces of renormalization held during the following week (June 1–5). Both events are part of the Program: Renormalization and universality in Conformal Geometry, Dynamics, Random Processes, and Field Theory: February 22 – March 19, 2021

We congratulate our colleague Claude LeBrun on being named SUNY Distinguished Professor!


Claude LeBrun is one of the foremost geometers in the world today. His original and profoundly influential research over the past forty years has consistently changed the landscape of the field. He has used ideas from physics, such as Penrose’s twistor theory, the Gibbons-Hawking Ansatz, and Seiberg-Witten invariants, to establish results that no one expected, and at the same time to disprove long-standing conjectures. His deep mathematical knowledge and talent has enabled him to make transformative contributions to a wide range of subjects. He has been at Stony Brook since 1983, and is a leading member of the differential geometry group in our department.

Algebraic Geometry Northeastern Series (AGNES)
Spring 2020 Workshop

Stony Brook University
October 23-25, 2020

August Comprehensive Exams

The August Comprehensive Exams will be offered both in-person and online. If you wish to take the exam online, please contact Christine Gathman.

Robert Hough Awarded 2020 Trustees Faculty Award

The Stony Brook Trustees Faculty Awards recognize early-career faculty whose research, creative activities, and scholarly achievements predict an exceptional trajectory.

Project: "Analytic Number Theory and Analysis of Discrete Structures"


Robert Hough is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Stony Brook University. His research focuses on analytic number theory and discrete probability.

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