Simion Filip, PhD’16 | Mathematics

Collège de France Science Research Travel Grant for Doctoral Research in Paris Awardee

Simion Filip received his PhD in Mathematics from UChicago in June 2016 and is currently a Clay Research Fellow and Junior Fellow in Mathematics at Harvard University. His research is in Dynamical Systems, in particular Teichmuller Dynamics and its connections to Hodge theory

What drew you to the CDF fellowship? What about it seemed like a good fit for you and your work at the time that you were applying?

Many prominent researchers in my field are based in Paris, and France more broadly. The chance to spend time in Paris was therefore very attractive, giving me the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with people there. The faculty at CdF, in particular Prof. J.-C. Yoccoz, is also very close to my research interests, so being at CdF was very appealing to me.

As the fellowship period draws to a close, is there a particular experience that has been memorable or that stands out to you (or that perhaps has even surprised you)? 

While in France, I got the opportunity to visit several other cities besides Paris and meet with researchers there. I also had the chance to speak about my own work in their seminars, and this was an enjoyable and instructive experience.

Is there any advice you would offer students who are thinking about applying but are concerned that a fellowship abroad might impede their research trajectory?

I think that a fellowship abroad offers the opportunity to make new research contacts and reconnect with those already established. It is important to have a good plan about what to do while abroad and establish contacts early. Overall, the opportunity is great, and with appropriate planning it can significantly help one’s research trajectory.