PIMS Scientific Session
October 23, 2025
The PIMS Scientific Session is a special event organized as part of a visit to PIMS by Christophe Besse, Director of INSMI/CNRS Mathematics, and Frederic Herau, Deputy Director, International Relationships, INSMI/CNRS Mathematics.
The talks will cover work facilitated by funding from the CNRS or collaborations with CNRS-affiliated researchers.
A special PIMS tea will take place in the PIMS Lounge from 2 to 3 pm.
From 2:15 pm to 2:30 pm, meet with Christophe Besse (CNRS Mathematics Director), Frédéric Hérau (CNRS Mathematics Deputy Scientific Director) , and Geraldine Dantelle (Attachée for scientific & higher education cooperation for the French embassy in Canada). Learn about funding opportunities from the CNRS and collaborations with CNRS-affiliated researchers.
Schedule:
| 12:30 - 1:30 PM | Lunch/Coffee/Tea/Snacks | |
| 1:30 - 1:35 PM | Opening remarks | |
| 1:35 - 1:50 PM | Jonathan Hermon | |
| 2:05 - 2:20 PM | Marni Mishna | Talk Title: Differential Transcendence and Combinatorics Abstract: When does a series satisfy an algebraic differential equation? Techniques to answer this have been developed since the 19-th century. Combinatorics provides an intuitive framework to study power series, and to consider this question. Solutions to certain kinds of iterative equations (like Mahler equations) that additionally satisfy an algebraic differential equation must also be very simple, such as Taylor series of a rational function. In spring 2023 Lucia Di Vizio (CNRS, Versailles) was a CNRS-PIMS visitor to SFU. Together, with results from Gwladys Fernandes we showed that differentially algebraic series solutions to a class of general iterative equations have a similar simple structure. We applied this to series from combinatorics like the Green’s function for the Sierpinski fractal graph, counting series for families of complete trees and series from pattern avoiding permutations giving simple proofs of differential transcendence. This strategy has subsequently been applied to entire classes of fractal graphs with consequences on characterizing fractals with certain spectral properties. |
| 2:20 - 2:35 PM | Khanh Dao Duc | Talk Title:
Building new metrics for analyzing large biological shape data |
| 2:35 - 3:00 PM | Coffee break | |
| 3:00 - 3:15 PM | Anthony Wachs | |
| 3:15 - 3:30 PM | Paul Vigneaux | Talk Title: Fluid connections: yield stress flows Abstract: We will present our scientific collaborations in the field of applied mathematics and scientific computing with our colleagues at UBC, thanks to the CNRS Mathematics' délégations (one-year residency at PIMS IRL). |
| 3:30 - 3:45 PM | Sarah Dijols | |
| 3:45 - 4:00 PM | Sabin Cautis | Talk Title: The derived category of the commuting stack Abstract: I will briefly discuss ongoing work with Tudor Padurariu on a fundamental geometric object that lies at the intersection of algebraic geometry, representation theory and mathematical physics. |
| 4:00 - 4:15 PM | Rachel Ollivier |
Event Details
October 23, 2025
12:30pm to 4:15pm
ESB 4133
, , CA