My name is Lutian Zhao (趙鷺天), and I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (IPMU). I completed my PhD in Mathematics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) under the supervision of Professor Sheldon Katz.

My research lies at the intersection of algebraic geometry, representation theory, and theoretical physics. I am particularly interested in the study of moduli spaces, with a focus on the moduli space of sheaves and Higgs bundles. My work aims to explore the deep connections between these mathematical structures and their applications in physical theories, such as string theory and gauge theory.

During my PhD, I initiated significant work on the Gopakumar-Vafa and Pandharipande-Thomas correspondence, and I have continued to develop this research in my postdoctoral work. I have also collaborated with Hao Sun, Pengfei Huang, and Georgios Kydonakis on the study of parahoric Higgs bundles, and with my postdoc mentor, Amin Gholampour, on the exploration of Vafa-Witten invariants.

In addition to my research, I am passionate about sharing knowledge and contributing to the academic community. I regularly engage in collaborations with fellow researchers and participate in conferences and seminars around the world!