Tractable topological computing: Escaping the hardness trap. Computational topology is a young and energetic field that uses computers to solve complex geometric problems driven by pure mathematics, and with diverse applications in biology, signal processing and data mining. A major barrier is that many of these problems are thought to be fundamentally and intractably hard. This project aims to defy such barriers for typical real-world inputs by fusing geometric techniques with technologies from ....Tractable topological computing: Escaping the hardness trap. Computational topology is a young and energetic field that uses computers to solve complex geometric problems driven by pure mathematics, and with diverse applications in biology, signal processing and data mining. A major barrier is that many of these problems are thought to be fundamentally and intractably hard. This project aims to defy such barriers for typical real-world inputs by fusing geometric techniques with technologies from the field of parameterised complexity, creating powerful, practical solutions for these problems. It is expected to shed much-needed light on the vast and puzzling gap between theory and practice, and give researchers fast new software tools for large-scale experimentation and cutting-edge computer proofs.Read moreRead less
Algorithms and computation in four-dimensional topology. This project will establish Australia as a world leader in computational topology, particularly in the all-important areas of topology in three and four dimensions. In four dimensions this work will be truly groundbreaking; until now the field has seen little development due to the complexity of the algorithms and computations required, and the applicant is in the unique position of having the necessary tools to make significant progress ....Algorithms and computation in four-dimensional topology. This project will establish Australia as a world leader in computational topology, particularly in the all-important areas of topology in three and four dimensions. In four dimensions this work will be truly groundbreaking; until now the field has seen little development due to the complexity of the algorithms and computations required, and the applicant is in the unique position of having the necessary tools to make significant progress in a feasible time frame. In three dimensions this project will strengthen the distinguished computational topology community in Melbourne, led by pioneers such as Rubinstein, Goodman, Hodgson as well as the applicant himself.Read moreRead less