Conference: Midwest Conferences on Quantum Symmetry and Beyond

A series of four regional conferences in the Midwest on Quantum Symmetries will be held Fall 2025, and Spring 2026, 2027, and 2028, at Iowa State University, Illinois State University, Indiana University, and Purdue University. The primary objective of these conferences is to discuss significant recent advances in Quantum Symmetry and explore the interplay between various research areas, while providing an environment that supports wide participation and career development. These conferences will bring together graduate students working on their masters or Ph.D.s, postdoctoral researchers, early-career researchers, and established experts in Quantum Symmetries to catalyze research progress by disseminating recent discoveries in the field, sharing open problems, hosting new and ongoing collaborations, and mentoring early-career participants. By creating a network of researchers amongst the participants, the conference series will strengthen ties between regional institutions and support the breadth of subtopics being investigated in the region as well as the range of personnel performing these investigations. The topic of these conferences is Quantum Symmetry broadly viewed, but anchored in the mathematics modeling quantum behavior with the goal of advancing knowledge in Quantum Symmetry. Quantum Symmetry is a fundamental concept that permeates mathematics and physics, providing deep connections between topological, conformal, and more general quantum field theories and algebraic structures such as vertex operator algebras, Hopf algebras, tensor categories, and higher categories. These areas of mathematics study the structures which give rise to precise models for quantum behavior and are crucial for progress in applications such as quantum computing and error correction, enhanced encryption, and resolving the physical models of quantum mechanics with Einstein’s theory of relativity. The interconnectedness of these many subfields within the field of Quantum Symmetry makes the interdisciplinary collaborations and cross-fertilization of ideas facilitated by these conferences all the more important. More information about these conferences may be found at https://www3.nd.edu/~kbarron/QuaSy-Con.html . 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.