Conference: Soul and Shape: Metric structures and Geometric Analysis

“Soul and Shape: Metric structures and Geometric Analysis” will take place at the University of Oklahoma, April 8-10, 2026. This meeting will bring together experts in Riemannian Geometry to share and discuss the latest techniques and outstanding, leading questions in the field. Riemannian Geometry is the branch of mathematics that describes calculus on non-flat spaces. This branch of mathematics provides the theoretical underpinnings of modern physics and allows us to create novel technologies, such as GPS. The conference will serve the central region of the United States and expose participants, especially the junior participants from EPSCoR states and the surrounding region, to cutting edge research in Riemannian Geometry, by bringing speakers from across the United States and the world. The meeting will feature an array of speakers ranging from graduate students and postdocs to established researchers. The participants will benefit from the unusual breadth of this conference, which will expose graduate students and junior researchers to these areas in a unified fashion, with leading researchers explaining the interaction of the central ideas. The main topics to be explored are Geometric Analysis, including Ricci flow and minimal surfaces; Symmetry and metric geometry, including non-negative sectional curvature (such as the Soul Theorem); and Geodesics and Dynamics. The emphasis of the conference will be on recent progress and open problems, bringing together experts and future researchers including leading scientists, early career mathematicians, and graduate students. The confirmed speakers are outstanding mathematicians who have pioneered essential approaches in current research in these areas. Details and registration can be found at https://sites.google.com/view/soulandshape/. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2554916 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Ricardo Augusto Mendes | Institution: University of Oklahoma Norman Campus, NORMAN, OK | Award Amount: $30,000 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2554916 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2554916.html