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Assistant Professor Yevgeny Liokumovich of the department of mathematical and computational sciences at the University of Toronto Mississauga has been awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship.

Liokumovich studies quantitative topology and a specialized area of geometric analysis known as min-max theory – working with complicated shapes, involving higher dimensions and other confounding factors, to solve problems related to advanced mathematics and everyday scenarios.

“I'm interested in all spaces that can be locally described mathematically as a flat plain or its higher dimensional analogs. What are the ways they can be deformed? What kinds of geometry can they possibly have?” Liokumovich says. “Min-max Theory can be used to construct objects known as minimal surfaces. Minimal surfaces have been used to prove important results in general relativity, and I am hoping that they will also lead to new insights.”

Liokumovich, who grew up in Kazahkhstan and moved to Toronto in Grade 11, did his undergraduate work and PhD at �Թϱ���. He says the chair of his department, Konstantin Khanin, encouraged him to apply for the fellowship.

“He was very enthusiastic, but I was kind of unsure. I always hesitate asking people for reference letters. They’re very busy people working on very important problems. But Konstantin encouraged me to overcome that.”