Junior Research Programs

Public Lecture on the Topology of Entangled Structures – The Theory of Knots in Life Sciences

Information

The Theory of Knots is a modern branch of Topology with central problem with their classification. It is addressed by the construction of topological invariants, which assign the same values to equivalent knots. The most significant invariant is the Jones polynomial, whose discovery in 1984 brought Vaughan F.R. Jones the Fields Medal. Since then, the theory of knots, braids, surfaces and 3-dimensional manifolds have found unexpected connections with Mathematical Physics, Algebra, Graph Theory and other fields of Science, as well as spectacular applications in Biology (DNA recombination, histones, topological classification of proteins, etc.), in Chemistry (molecular graphs, topological properties of polymer melts, etc.) and in Physics (Statistical Mechanics, modelling of natural phenomena via topological surgery, etc.). In this talk we shall present some basic notions of knot theory, its extension to V. Turaev’s theory of knotoids and some of the above applications.

Date

Friday, July 25, 2025 13:30 – 15:00 (JST)

Venue

TOKYO ELECTRON House of Creativity 3F, Lecture Theater, Katahira Campus, Tohoku University [Access]

Capacity

Onsite: 60 (First–come–first–serve basis, registration required)
Online: 100

Invited Speaker

Sofia Lambropoulou (National Technical University of Athens)

Registration

Registration deadline: Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 16:00 (JST)
Registration Form

Time Schedule

13:30 – 15:00
Sofia Lambropoulou (National Technical University of Athens)
The Theory of Knots in Life Sciences

Contact

Tohoku Forum for Creativity
Email: tfc_pg*grp.tohoku.ac.jp (change * to @)

Organizers
Email: periodic.tangles*gmail.com (change * to @)