Dr. Steven Rayan DPhil (Oxford)
Professor and Deputy Head, Mathematics & StatisticsAbout Me
I am a Professor and NSERC, NFRF, and CFI-supported researcher in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Saskatchewan, which is located on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. I serve as the Deputy Head of the Department. I am a faculty member of both the College of Arts and Science and the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. I sereve as the Lead for the University's Signature Area of Research in Quantum Innovation and as the Director of the Centre for Quantum Topology and Its Applications (quanTA). I am also the University's Director of Interdisciplinary Programming, a position housed in the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
I am a pure mathematician influenced in large part by physics and quantum science. My current research has two outwardly separate but deeply intertwined themes:
- the algebraic geometry, topology, and representation theory of moduli spaces arising from theoretical physics
- novel approaches to quantum computation, quantum matter, and quantum sensing at both a foundational and applied level
Within the Quantum Innovation Signature Area, I also serve as the Co-Lead for the Quantum Computing theme.
You can read an overview of my research or you can view my papers directly. If you want to learn about some of my research and also see cartoons of hedgehogs at the same time, please have a look at Higgs Bundles without Geometry, a pamphlet that I wrote with Laura Schaposnik for the Oberwolfach Snapshots of Modern Mathematics series, which is "designed to promote the understanding and appreciation of modern mathematics and mathematical research in the interested public world-wide." You can also check out my TEDx talk about the mathematics and art behind quantum magic.
I was invited by the Canadian Science Policy Centre to write about grand challenges around quantum innovation in the current decade. You can read my article on page 39 of the 2020 edition of the Canadian Science Policy Magazine.
I am also an editor of the journal Research in the Mathematical Sciences, an affiliate faculty member of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and a member of the NSF GEAR Network and Geometry Labs United.
Mathematical Physics Program
I am the Chair of the Mathematical Physics BScH Program at the University of Saskatchewan. This is an exciting interdisciplinary undergraduate program that combines the best of two worlds. The program provides a rigorous foundation in both mathematics and physics, and upper-year students enjoy special topics courses ranging from algebraic geometry, to mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics, to string theory. Students in the program are very successful in attaining paid summer research positions and have an excellent track record of being admitted into top graduate schools. If you are performing well in first-year and second-year mathematics and physics courses and are considering the possibility of applying for Mathematical Physics, please schedule an appointment with me.
Graduate Programs
Between 2019 and 2024, I was the Graduate Chair for the Mathematics graduate programs in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics. If you have a strong record of undergraduate and/or postgraduate academic achievement in the mathematical sciences; are keen to pursue Master's or PhD-level level studies in pure mathematics, applied mathematics, or discrete mathematics; and are interested in the research of one or more of our faculty members, then I encourage you to apply for admission to our MMath, MSc, or PhD graduate programs.
I am also the University of Saskatchewan's Director of Interdisciplinary Programming through which I chair the Interdisciplinary Studies graduate program. This is an individualized graduate program in which students, with the guidance of supervisors and advisory committees, may propose their own scholarly investigations at the interface of two or more disciplines. If you are interested in an MA, MSc, or PhD degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, you may apply for admission.
If you are interested in working under my supervision (through either Mathematics or Interdisciplinary Studies), please do not hesitate to contact me at rayan (at) math.usask.ca. Knowing your past academic training and who your supervisors were (if any) would be valuable. If you have any publications or written projects, I would be happy to examine these as part of our communication. Please keep in mind that I am looking for graduate students who match very closely my research interests in algebraic geometry and quantum science, and this is best demonstrated through written projects, theses, and/or preprints and publications.
CV
Contact Information
Dr. Steven Rayan
Department of Mathematics & Statistics / quanTA
University of Saskatchewan
Office 209, McLean Hall
106 Wiggins Road
Saskatoon, SK
Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis
S7N 5E6
CANADA