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Richard Szabo

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Richard Szabo

Professor

 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3821-4891

  • Riccarton

    EH14 4AS Edinburgh

    United Kingdom

Accepting PhD Students

1992 …2026

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Research interests

Research interests Mathematical Physics, including string theory, quantum field theory, quantum gravity Noncommutative geometry and field theory, K-theory, algebraic geometry, higher structures and category theory

Biography

I was born in Montreal, Canada and completed a Joint Honours Mathematics & Physics BSc degree at McGill University in 1990. I did my MSc and PhD degrees in Theoretical Physics at the University of British Columbia under the supervision of Gordon Semenoff. I then did postdoc stints at Oxford University in 1995 and the Niels Bohr Institute in 1998, before settling permanently at Heriot-Watt in 2000. My research centres around the applications of geometrical and topological methods to problems in quantum field theory and string theory, focusing in particular on techniques drawn from K-theory, noncommutative geometry and algebraic geometry.

Roles & Responsibilities

I am currently the Associate Executive Dean of Research and Innovation in the School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, and the Industrial Engagement Lead for the Centre for Doctoral Training in Algebra, Geometry and Quantum Fields. I am also the External Examiner for the UG and PGT programmes in Mathematical Physics at the School of Mathematical Sciences of the University of Nottingham.

Previously I was the Co-Director for the Maxwell Institute for Mathematical Sciences from 2011-2019, and I was the Unit of Assessment Champion for Maxwell Institute in the Research Assessment Exercise 2008 as well as the Research Excellence Framework 2021.

I am an editor for the Journal of Geometry & Physics and SIGMA. I was an Editor-in-Chief for the Encyclopedia of Mathematical Physics which was published by Elsevier in 2024.

From 2015-2019 I was the Chair of the COST Action MP1405 "Quantum Structure of Spacetime", coordinating research and outreach networking activities in mathematical physics among 28 European countries and 4 international partner countries.

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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  • 4 Editorial activity
  • 1 Participation in conference
  • 1 External Examiner
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