IMPA Brings Together World-Renowned Experts in Dynamic Systems
From August 24 to 28, IMPA will host the International Conference on Dynamical Systems, one of the longest-running international conferences dedicated to the field of dynamical systems. Held since 1981, the conference brings together experts from different countries to discuss advances in a field in which the Institute has established itself as one of the world’s leading research centers.
This year’s edition will be dedicated to the memory of Jacob Palis (1940–2025), one of the leading figures in the history of Brazilian mathematics and a central figure in the development of dynamical systems in Brazil and at IMPA. As part of the tribute, a permanent display case featuring the awards and honors received by the researcher and former director-general of the Institute will be unveiled on Monday (the 2Wednesdays).
“Hosting another edition of the International Conference on Dynamical Systems It holds a very special meaning for IMPA. “Since 1981, these conferences have tracked the development of the field in Brazil and around the world, as well as the emergence of a Brazilian school of Dynamic Systems, which has gained significant international recognition,” notes Alejandro Kocsard, a researcher at the Institute and a member of the organizing committee. For him, this year’s edition continues this tradition and takes on a unique character because it is dedicated to the memory of Jacob Palis, one of the central figures in the development of Brazilian science.
Among the highlights of the program is Amie Wilkinson of the University of Chicago, one of the world’s leading experts in differentiable dynamics, ergodic theory, and partial hyperbolicity. She will open the lecture series on Monday (24).
On Tuesday (the 2Thursdays), it will be Christian Bonatti’s turn, from the Institut de Mathématiques de Bourgogne in Dijon. The researcher has a long-standing scientific collaboration with IMPA Director-General Marcelo Viana and has played a central role in the development of modern theory of differentiable dynamics, particularly in the study of phenomena beyond uniform hyperbolicity.
“Their presence, along with that of many other prominent researchers, also reflects the broad range of topics that has always characterized IMPA’s Dynamic Systems conferences,” said Kocsard. In his view, bringing together experts from different countries and research fields in Rio de Janeiro allows for the presentation of recent findings, fosters new scientific interactions, and facilitates discussions on the direction the field should take in the coming years.
The program runs through Friday (the 28th)
The program also features speakers such as Bassam Fayad (Université Paris Diderot); Corinna Ulcigrai (University of Zurich); Ursula Hamenstaedt (University of Bonn); Carlangelo Liverani (University of Rome Tor Vergata); Federico Rodriguez-Hertz (Pennsylvania State University); Konstantin Khanin (Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Applications); Masato Tsujii (Kyushu University); Maria José Pacífico (UFRJ); Carlos Gustavo Moreira (IMPA); and Yuri Lima (USP).
In addition to the lectures, the conference will feature a roundtable discussion on Monday (the 2Wednesdays) bringing together researchers from different generations and institutions: Alberto Verjovsky (UNAM); Harold Rosenberg (Paris 7); Rafael Labarca (University of Santiago, Chile), and Roberto Markarian (UDELAR).
Tribute to Jacob Palis
The unveiling of the Jacob Palis awards display adds a symbolic dimension to the conference. “Jacob had an extraordinary influence on the development of dynamical systems in Brazil and around the world, but his legacy at IMPA goes far beyond his mathematical achievements. He played a decisive role in training researchers, building an international scientific community, and establishing IMPA as a world-class institution,” says Kocsard.
For the researcher, bringing together Palis’s awards and honors in a permanent space at the Institute is also a way to introduce new generations to part of his career. “Paying this tribute during a conference that he helped establish—and which brings together so many of his colleagues, collaborators, students, and scientific successors—makes this moment especially meaningful.”