Durham Symposium strengthens UK–Japan research links

The symposium focused on topics including Alexandrov spaces, Gromov–Hausdorff convergence, manifolds with lower curvature bounds, metric measure spaces, RCD spaces, geometric partial differential equations, and Lorentzian and sub-Riemannian geometry. 

The event was organised by Durham mathematicians Dr Fernando Galaz-García, Dr Martin Kerin, and Dr Kohei Suzuki, together with Dr Amaranta Membrillo Solis (Queen Mary University of London). As part of the long-running Durham Symposium series, established in 1974, the workshop featured an international programme of invited speakers, poster sessions, and networking opportunities designed to foster new research partnerships. 

The symposium was also part of the regular meetings of the UK Metric Geometry and Analysis Network. A particular highlight of the event was an opening address by the Consul General Katsutoshi Takeda from the Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh, underlining the symposium’s role in strengthening academic links between the UK and Japan. The workshop was supported by a grant from the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, awarded to the organisers. The funding enabled the organisers to bring together researchers from the UK and Japan for an intensive week of scientific exchange. Additional financial support was provided by Durham University, the London Mathematical Society, UKRI, the Austrian Science Fund, and the EU COST action mSPACE: multiscale Stochastics, Patterns, and Analysis of Combinatorial Environments.  

In addition to participants from Durham and other UK universities, the symposium welcomed leading researchers from the University of Tokyo, Osaka University, Tohoku University, Fukuoka University, Niigata University, the University of Vienna, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Maynooth University, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Durham University, and Cardiff University. By creating opportunities for discussion across traditionally separate research communities, the event helped spark new collaborations and deepen existing partnerships. It also provided valuable opportunities for early-career researchers to engage with internationally recognised experts in their fields. 

The success of the workshop emphasises Durham's strong international profile in mathematics and demonstrates the value of global research partnerships in addressing challenging mathematical questions and advancing fundamental knowledge.