Some Recent Talks
An exploration of open-closed-open triality in the context of twisted holography. Includes a quick recap of the OCO-triality in matrix models before moving on towards an alternative open string description in terms of giant graviton branes.
Gives a precise realization of the "strings from Feynman diagrams" paradigm to manifestly recast a subsector of N=4 SYM as a dual closed string theory. Lots of pictures explaining how Strebel differentials provide the key tool to translate between graphs and 2d surfaces.
A condensed but friendly overview of the new picture as to how strings emerge from matrix Feynman diagrams for an audience consisting of many of the pioneers of the matrix model/string revolution of the 80s/90s.
A short summary talk, geared towards mathematical physicists, recasting the GUE ensemble as a bona-fide string theory.
An overview of the new worldsheet string theory dual to generic, interacting one-matrix models, with a focus on the big picture statement of the duality alongside a few example calculations.
A 30min talk proposing there are two underlying mechanisms as to how large N gauge theories reassemble themselves into closed strings. They can be simultaneously realized by strings on two sets of branes. Discusses the Kontsevich model as a basic example, then moves on to a protected subsector of N=4 SYM.
A pedagogical 1h30 lecture outlining the vision as to how one might go about deriving something like AdS/CFT starting from 't Hooft's diagrammatic paradigm. Spells out how this works concretely for the Gaussian matrix model.
A 45min overview talk for a gauge theory and integrability audience, explaining how both 2d Riemann surfaces and holomorphic covering maps lurk beneath familiar gauge theory quantities.
Selected Conference and Workshop Talks (2024–Present)
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Banff Workshop on Matrix Models & Emergent Geometry, Banff, Canada, May 2026
Worldsheet Duals to One-Matrix Models -
IAS Meeting at the Extremes Workshop, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ, USA, May 2026
Worldsheet Duals to One-Matrix Models -
String Field Theory 2026, Benasque, Spain, May 2026
Worldsheet Duals to One-Matrix Models -
ICTP Spring String School, Trieste, Italy, March 2026
The Simplest Gauge/String Duality — joint lecture with R. Gopakumar -
Workshop on Topological Recursion, MATRIX Research Center, Melbourne, Australia, December 2025
Matrix Integrals as Integrals over the Moduli Space of Curves -
Workshop on Matrix Models & Superstring Theory, Kyoto, Japan, December 2025
Emergent Worldsheet Geometry from Matrices -
Workshop on Recent Developments in String Theory, Aspen Center for Physics, Aspen, CO, USA, September 2025
Proving AdS/CFT — opening overview talk for the focus week “Deriving Gauge/String Duality” -
Workshop on String Field Theory and Related Aspects, IGAP, SISSA, Trieste, Italy, March 2025
Open–Closed–Open Triality -
Workshop on Statistical Mechanics, Algebra, and Geometry, Les Diablerets, Switzerland, February 2025
Strings from Feynman Diagrams -
Solving Holographic Theories Conference, Imperial College London, London, UK, December 2024
Strings from Feynman Diagrams -
PCTS Confinement Workshop, Princeton, NJ, USA, November 2024
Open–Closed–Open Triality -
Inaugural KIAS–Saclay Strings Workshop, Seoul, South Korea, September 2024
Strings from Feynman Diagrams -
Annual SwissMAP Meeting, Les Diablerets, Switzerland, September 2024
Strings from Feynman Diagrams -
Integrability in Gauge and String Theory (IGST) 2024, ICTP-SAIFR, São Paulo, Brazil, June 2024
Strings from Feynman Diagrams -
Strings-Math 2024, ICTP, Trieste, Italy, June 2024
The Simplest Gauge/String Duality — short talk -
Simons Confinement Meeting, Les Diablerets, Switzerland, May 2024
Strings from Feynman Diagrams -
KITP Program “What Is String Theory?”, Santa Barbara, CA, USA, March 2024
Deriving Gauge/String Duality — opening overview talk for the focus week of the same name
Invited Seminars and Colloquia (2022-Present)
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Simons Collaboration on Celestial Holography Seminar, online, June 2026
Open–Closed–Open Triality & Twisted Holography -
University of Amsterdam Theory Seminar, Amsterdam, Netherlands, April 2026
Worldsheet Duals to One-Matrix Models -
EPFL Theory Seminar, Lausanne, Switzerland, February 2026
Worldsheet Duals to One-Matrix Models -
UCLA Theory Seminar, Los Angeles, CA, USA, November 2025
Deriving Gauge/String Duality -
CERN Theory Seminar, Geneva, Switzerland, November 2025
Strings from Feynman Diagrams -
CERN Theory Journal Club, Geneva, Switzerland, October 2025
Discrete Volumes of Moduli Space & Topological Recursion -
Joint Mathematics/Physics Seminar, London Institute for Mathematical Sciences, London, UK, October 2025
Feynman Meets Grothendieck -
Joint Belgian Theory Seminar, Leuven, Belgium, October 2025
Strings from Feynman Diagrams -
Cambridge Theory Seminar, Cambridge, UK, August 2025
Strings from Feynman Diagrams -
Bern Theory Seminar, Bern, Switzerland, May 2025
Strings from Feynman Diagrams -
Virginia Tech Theory Seminar, online, April 2025
Strings from Feynman Diagrams -
Joint South American Theory Seminar (HoloPìpol), online, March 2025
Strings from Feynman Diagrams -
Departmental Theory Colloquium, University of Catania, Catania, Italy, March 2025
Emergent Spacetime and Random Matrices -
EPFL High Energy Seminar, Lausanne, Switzerland, February 2025
Strings from Feynman Diagrams -
King’s College Theory Seminar, London, UK, October 2024
Strings from Feynman Diagrams -
LMU Theory Seminar, Munich, Germany, May 2024
Strings from Feynman Diagrams -
Caltech Theory Seminar, Pasadena, CA, USA, April 2024
Open–Closed–Open Triality -
NYU Theory Seminar, New York, NY, USA, April 2024
The Simplest Gauge/String Duality -
SCGP Theory Seminar, Stony Brook, NY, USA, April 2024
The Simplest Gauge/String Duality -
Berkeley Theory Seminar, Berkeley, CA, USA, March 2024
Deriving Gauge/String Duality -
MIT Theory Seminar, Cambridge, MA, USA, March 2024
Deriving Gauge/String Duality -
Cambridge Theory Seminar, Cambridge, UK, February 2024
The Simplest Gauge/String Duality -
Joint Paris Rencontres Theory Seminar, Paris, France, February 2024
The Simplest Gauge/String Duality -
McGill HEP Theory Seminar, online, October 2023
Deriving the Simplest Gauge/String Duality -
Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics, Stanford, CA, USA, May 2022
Deriving the Simplest Possible Gauge/String Duality -
Center for Theoretical Physics, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA, May 2022
Deriving the String Dual to a Matrix Model
Invited Lecture Series and Schools
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Summer School on Quantum Gravity and Quantum Chaos, Petnica Summer Institute, Petnica, Serbia, August 2026
A Physical Take on Random Matrices -
SwissMAP Mathematical Physics Summer School (MAPSS) 2026, SRS Research Station, Les Diablerets, Switzerland, July 2026
An Introduction to Topological Recursion -
ICTP Spring String School, Trieste, Italy, March 2026
The Simplest Gauge/String Duality — joint lecture with R. Gopakumar -
KMI Mathematical Physics Winter School 2026, Kobayashi–Maskawa Institute for the Origin of Particles and the Universe, Nagoya, Japan, February 2026
From ’t Hooft to Topological Recursion -
SwissMAP Mathematical Physics Summer School (MAPSS) 2025, SRS Research Station, Les Diablerets, Switzerland, August 2025
A First Glimpse at Large-N Matrices