Future students

Friday, May 26, 2023 3:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Tutte Colloquium - Wouter Castryck

Title: Breaking the Supersingular Isogeny Diffie-Hellman protocol

Speaker: Wouter Castryck
Affiliation: KU Leuven
Location: Please contact Eva Lee for Zoom link

Abstract: Finding an explicit isogeny between two given isogenous elliptic curves over a finite field is considered a hard problem, even for quantum computers.

Friday, May 26, 2023 1:30 pm - 1:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Continuous Optimization Seminar - Kay Barshad

Title: Generalized Modular String Averaged Procedure and Its Applications to Iterative Methods

Speaker: Kay Barshad
Affiliation: University of Waterloo
Location: MC 6029

Abstract: A modular string averaging procedure (MSA, for short) for a finite number of operators  was first introduced by Reich and Zalas in 2016. The MSA concept provides a flexible  algorithmic framework for solving various feasibility problems such as common fixed point and convex feasibility problems.

Monday, May 29, 2023 11:30 am - 11:30 am EDT (GMT -04:00)

Algebraic Graph Theory: Steve Kirkland

Title: Eigenvalues for stochastic matrices with a prescribed stationary distribution

Speaker: Steve Kirkland
Affiliation: University of Manitoba
Location: Please contact Sabrina Lato for Zoom link

Abstract: A square nonnegative matrix T is called stochastic if all of its row sums are equal to 1. Under mild conditions, it turns out that there is a positive row vector w^T (called the stationary distribution for T) whose entries sum to 1 such that the powers of T converge to the outer product of w^T with the all-ones vector. Further, the nature of that convergence is governed by the eigenvalues of T.

In this talk we explore how the stationary distribution for a stochastic matrix exerts an influence on the corresponding eigenvalues.

Monday, May 29, 2023 1:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

C&O Reading Group: Gabriel Morete

Title: Bounding the extended complexity of the stable set polytope on perfect graphs

Speaker: Gabriel Morete
Affiliation: University of Waterloo
Room: MC 6029

Abstract: This week we will study the extension complexity of the stable set polytope for perfect graphs. More than 40 years ago, Grötschel et al. gave an algorithm to find maximal weight stable sets on perfect graphs based on a compact semidefinite extension. However, whether there is a compact linear extension is still an open problem.

Thursday, May 18, 2023 3:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Graphs and Matroids Seminar - Jerónimo Valencia Porras

Title: Snake decomposition of lattice path matroids

Speaker: Jerónimo Valencia Porras 
Affiliation: University of Waterloo
Location: MC 5501

Abstract: Lattice path matroids (LPMs) are positroids whose base polytopes have a nice decomposition. We provide a geometric perspective to this decomposition in terms of fences and their order polytopes, which correspond to a certain class of LPMs we call snakes.

Monday, May 15, 2023 11:30 am - 11:30 am EDT (GMT -04:00)

Algebraic Graph Theory - Yuval Filmus

Title: Orthogonal basis of eigenvectors for the Johnson and Kneser graphs

Speaker: Yuval Filmus
Affiliation: Technion
Location: Please contact Sabrina Lato for Zoom link

Abstract: The Johnson and Kneser graphs have the same eigenspaces. How explicitly can we describe these eigenspaces? 

Monday, May 15, 2023 2:30 pm - 2:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Seminar - Douglas Stebila

Title: A brief introduction to lattice-based cryptography

Speaker: Douglas Stebila
Affiliation: University of Waterloo
Location: MC 5479

Abstract: A brief introduction to lattice-based cryptography, one of the leading candidates for building quantum-resistant cryptosystems.

Monday, May 15, 2023 1:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

C&O Reading Group - Jacob Skitsko

Title: The matching polytope has exponential extension complexity

Speaker: Jacob Skitsko
Affiliation: University of Waterloo
Location: MC 6029

Abstract: This Friday we will build off of some previous results by looking at the paper “The matching polytope has exponential extension complexity” by Thomas Rothvoss! At the beginning of the semester, we saw that the matching (and TSP) polytopes cannot be expressed by a polynomial sized symmetric LP.

Monday, May 1, 2023 11:30 am - 11:30 am EDT (GMT -04:00)

Algebraic Graph Theory - Sjanne Zeijlemaker

Title: On the diameter and zero forcing number of some graph classes in the Johnson, Grassmann and Hamming association scheme

Speaker: Sjanne Zeijlemaker
Affiliation:

Eindhoven University of Technology

Location: Please contact Sabrina Lato for Zoom link

Abstract:  Graph classes in the Johnson, Grassmann and Hamming association scheme have received a considerable amount of attention over the last decades. Although several (NP-hard) graph parameters have been investigated for these families, many remain unknown. In this talk, we establish the diameter of generalized Grassmann graphs, extending previous results for generalized Johnson graphs.

Friday, May 19, 2023 3:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Distinguished Tutte Lecture - Petter Brändén

Title: Lorentzian polynomials

Speaker: Petter Brändén
Affiliation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Location: MC 5501 

Abstract: Lorentzian polynomials on cones are intimately connected to Hodge theory, matroid theory and the geometry of zeros of polynomials.