Recently, a class of algorithms combining classical fixed-point iterations with repeated random sparsification of approximate solution vectors has been successfully applied to eigenproblems with matrices as large as 10^108 x 10^108. So far, a complete mathematical explanation for this success has proven elusive. The family of methods has not yet been extended to the important case of linear system solves. Our recent work proposes a new scheme based on repeated random sparsification that is capable of solving sparse linear systems in arbitrarily high dimensions. We provide a complete mathematical analysis of this new algorithm. Our analysis establishes a faster-than-Monte Carlo convergence rate and justifies use of the scheme even when the solution is too large to store as a dense vector.

Jacobi's method is the oldest-known algorithm for the symmetric eigenvalue problem. It is also optimal; depending on the implementation, Jacobi can (1) compute small eigenvalues to higher relative accuracy than any other algorithm and (2) attain the arithmetic/communication complexity lower bounds of matrix multiplication (in both serial and parallel settings). This talk surveys efforts to optimize Jacobi as a one-algorithm case study into recent trends in numerical linear algebra. Based on joint work with James Demmel, Hengrui Luo, and Yifu Wang.

To achieve the greatest possible speed, practitioners regularly implement randomized algorithms for low-rank approximation and least-squares regression with structured dimension reduction maps. This talk outlines a new perspective on structured dimension reduction, based on the injectivity properties of the dimension reduction map. This approach provides sharper bounds for sparse dimension reduction maps, and it leads to exponential improvements for tensor-product dimension reduction. Empirical evidence confirms that these types of structured random matrices offer exemplary performance for a range of synthetic problems and contemporary scientific applications.

Joint work with Chris Camaño, Ethan Epperly, and Raphael Meyer; available at arXiv:2508.21189.

3d mirror symmetry predicts deep relationships between certain algebraic symplectic varieties. One such expectation is an "equivalence" between curve counts in a Higgs branch and those in the corresponding Coulomb branch. When it can be precisely formulated, this equivalence takes the form of an equality (after analytic continuation and change of variables) of meromorphic functions associated to the two branches. Bow varieties provide the largest currently known setting where the appropriate curve counts can be defined and their equivalence precisely formulated. In this talk, I will give an overview of these ideas and discuss my work with Tommaso Botta, in which we prove the duality of curve counts for finite type A bow varieties. Our proof combines geometric, combinatorial, and analytic arguments to eventually reduce to the case of the cotangent bundle of the complete flag variety. Time permitting, I will also discuss ongoing work to incorporate "descendant insertions" into the statements by using Hecke modifications of vector bundles.

The cohomology groups of tautological bundles on Grassmannians are described by the celebrated Borel-Weil-Bott theorem. Quot schemes on the projective line provide a natural generalization of Grassmannians: they parametrize rank r quotients of a vector bundle V on the projective line. In this talk, I will present formulas for Euler characteristics and for the cohomology groups of tautological bundles on these Quot schemes. Additionally, I will describe how these formulas apply to the study of the quantum K-theory of Grassmannians.

Countable Similarity Structure (CSS) groups are a class of generalized Thompson groups. I will introduce CSS$^*$ groups, a subclass, that we prove to be non-acylindrically hyperbolic, that includes the Higman-Thompson groups $V_{d,r}$, the countable R\"over-Nekrashevych groups $V_d(G)$, and the topological full groups of subshifts of finite type of Matui. I will discuss how all CSS$^*$ groups give rise to prime group von Neumann algebras, which greatly expands the class of groups satisfying a previous deformation/rigidity result. I will then discuss how CSS$^*$ groups are either C$^*$-simple with a simple commutator subgroup, or lack both properties. This extends C$^*$-simplicity results of Le Boudec and Matte Bon and recovers the simple commutator subgroup results of Bleak, Elliott, and Hyde. This is joint work with Eli Bashwinger.

Motivated by the Brill--Noether problems and enumerative geometry over surfaces, we study the expected behaviors of coherent sheaves. We estimate the dimension of global sections of stable sheaves. We also prove some cases of an analogue of Lange's conjecture over curves, which states that general extensions of two vector bundles are stable under some obvious conditions. These are closely related to Segre invariants of sheaves, which studies maximal subsheaves of a fixed rank. This can be understood as to determine when Grothendieck's Quot schemes are non-empty. This is based on work in progress jointly with Thomas Goller and Zhixian Zhu.

We consider ball averages on discrete groups, and associated Hardy-Littlewood maximal operator, with the balls defined by invariant metrics associated with a variety of length functions. Under natural assumptions on the rough radial structure of the group under consideration, we establish a maximal inequality of weak-type for the Hardy-Littlewood operator. These assumptions are related to a coarse radial median inequality, to almost exact polynomial-exponential growth of balls, and to the rough radial rapid decay property. We give a variety of examples where the rough radial structure assumptions hold, including any lattice in a connected semisimple Lie group with finite center, with respect to the Riemannian distance on symmetric space restricted to an orbit of the lattice. Other examples include right-angled Artin groups, Coxeter groups and braid groups, with a suitable choice of word metric. For non-elementary word-hyperbolic groups we establish that the Hardy-Littlewood maximal operator with respect to balls defined by a word metric satisfies the weak-type (1,1)-maximal inequality, which is the optimal result. This is joint work with Koji Fujiwara, Kyoto University.

Our set up will consist of a countable group acting on a metric space with dense orbits. Our goal will be to develop effective gauges that measure how dense such orbits actually are, or equivalently how efficient is the approximation of a general point in the space by the points in the orbit.  We will describe several such gauges, whose definitions are motivated by classical Diophantine approximation, and are related to approximation exponents, discrepancy and equidistribution. We will then describe some of the (non-classical) examples we aim to analyze, focusing mainly on certain countable subgroups of the special linear or affine group, or of the groups of isometries of hyperbolic spaces, acting on some associated homogeneous spaces. In this set-up it is possible to establish optimal effective Diophantine approximation results in certain cases. We will very briefly indicate some ingredients of the methods involved, keeping the exposition as accessible as possible. We will also indicate some of the many challenging open problems that this circle of questions present. Based partly on previous joint work with Anish Ghosh and Alex Gorodnik, and partly on recent work with Mikolaj Fraczyk and Alex Gorodnik. 

TBA