Ali Khalili Samani
University of Melbourne
Studying and its potential impacts for the broader community ?
I am working on categorical groups (2-groups) and their representations. They are important objects both in Math and Physics, and understanding their properties and representations can help us to approach problems in these fields from different points of view.
How did you get into mathematics and into the area of Representation Theory? Was there someone or something that inspired you to this field?
My sister also studied Math and motivates me a lot to start my journey in Math world. My interest in representation theory comes from my discussions with my master supervisor, Prof. Siamak Yassemi, and his PhD and Postdoc students.
You received a grant to attend AMSI Winter School 2022. How important was this in terms of your ability to attend, fully participate in the program and meet others studying in similar fields?
The grant helped me to pay fees for flight and public transport, and was very useful.
Winter School is designed to give students a deeper understanding of their area of research and expose them to others working in different fields/industries. What was the most valuable part of the program for you? Was it the course content or the people you met? Do you have new ideas for your work/research or see it in a new light?
This school opened new doors for me in the case of understanding new concepts in Math. It also helped me gain new and valuable insights towards problems, especially for my project. It paved the way for me to view problems from different angels.
AMSI-MSRI Winter School was held as a hybrid event with event hubs in Australia and America. What was the biggest positive from your point of view holding it in this format and/or the biggest challenge?
The hybrid mode was very helpful in the sense that people don’t need to travel. They can meet online and discuss about their interests, also they can make connections for their future works.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering applying for Winter School in 2023? How would you describe the conference to them? Should they apply and why?
I strongly recommend them to participate in Winter school, because it will help them to immerse themselves in a broader community of Math students and professors.
Where do you want the mathematical sciences to take you? Where do you see yourself in five, ten years time?
I think I am going for an academic position. Events like seminars, conferences and Winter school are important stages in achieving this goal.
Any other feedback/comments you would like to provide on the AMSI Scholarship or AMSI-MSRI Winter School 2022?
I just want to thank all organizers for their very warm atmosphere they provided for us during Winter school 2022, and hope that I can also participate in future events.