Tudor Dimofte

Sydney Marcy and Manjari Agrawal worked together to produce this article as part of our series of Academic Interviews; featuring Tudor Dimofte!

Dr. Tudor Dimofte is an American mathematician who, on his journey through the world of academia, became part of the faculty at the Hodge Institute at the University of Edinburgh.

His interest in mathematics seems to have been an inherent one as he describes himself gravitating towards it and logical problems from the beginning. A general inclination to learn about how the world works has led to him exploring a number of topics in both mathematics and physics.

Studying at University

As an undergraduate he majored in mathematics at Princeton University. During his time there he started to find analysis fascinating, “at the same time, I was able to take a lot of classes in the physics department and started getting more and more into string theory.” This would lead him to apply for PhD programs to study such.

From there he went on to spend a year at Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, doing Part 3 Maths, which is a standard master’s program there. Talking about the degree, he reminisces about the freedom to choose the courses, “which was fine,” he says, since that meant he could take more of them related to theoretical physics. Looking back, he thinks it was a good intermediate step as it prepared him for the transition to a research-intensive environment when he was getting his doctorate.

He achieved his PhD at the California Institute of Technology. His research revolved around topics both in maths and physics. Trying hard to avoid technical terms he explains that he studied “quantum particles moving along in curved spaces.” The spaces being defined by certain topological characteristics, “it turns out that by thinking about the physics of quantum particles moving in these spaces, one can capture mathematically, a lot of their geometry in new and interesting ways.”

Postdoctoral work

Applying for postdoctoral positions was next on the list, “That’s a stressful point in one’s career.” He explains that it is at this point that one finds out whether the academic path is going to work out for them or not, “Thankfully, I did get some nice postdoc offers.” He spent most of the next five years as a postdoc at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton. Talking of that time in his life he says, “it’s sort of like purgatory.” He was able to do independent research, but at the same time the position was temporary. Furthermore, he explains there’s a pressure because at the end of that time one has to show the academic world that they can put together a well-developed research program.

Still excited and nostalgic while looking back on his time as a postdoc, he reminisces about the days spent discussing ideas with his colleagues. He was surprised by the amount of travelling he had to do during that time; there was always some workshop or conference to attend.

On one occasion, he ended up living for days with fellow mathematicians in the Swiss Alps for instance, which was a great way to explore the subject further but also to build a network of friends and collaborators across the world.

Research

Research is never easy and reflecting on the challenges it brings, he stresses the importance of being ready to handle failure. At the start of a research project, he says, “nothing’s going to tell you whether it will work out or not.”

“You may do heavy calculations and go to the literature, read papers for four months, or half a year, or a year and realise that what you thought was going to fit together doesn’t. And it all falls apart and you have to start all over. So being okay with things like that is one of the hardest parts.”

Tudor emphasises the need to be prepared to invest a huge amount of time. One has to spend months and years on a set of ideas, and it is easy to get attached to them and in the end, they might not work out. On a positive note, “when it does work out, it’s amazing and keeps you going.”

The University of Edinburgh

Finally, in an attempt to get closer to his partner who’s working in England he jumped at the opportunity to work at the University of Edinburgh. This turned out to be a great fit as the field here is influenced by lots of different perspectives, “on the kind of mathematics that is relevant for the physics problems I study.”

While on the subject of the University he admitted that he finds himself comfortable here, despite the pandemic and even though it hasn’t been long since he moved. The amount of online group meetings and seminars has not only made him feel welcome but has led to him making a connection with the University