Lvzhou Chen

Lvzhou Chen is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Purdue University's Department of Mathematics, part of the College of Science. His research focuses on geometric topology, geometric group theory, and dynamics, with specific interests in stable commutator length, mapping class groups of infinite-type surfaces, and their interplay with dynamical systems.

He earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago (2020), advised by Danny Calegari, following an M.S. (2015) and B.S. (2014) from Fudan University and the University of Chicago. Prior to Purdue, he was a R. H. Bing Instructor (postdoc) at the University of Texas at Austin (2020–2022).

Chen's research explores topics such as the geometry of infinite-type surfaces, quasimorphisms, and applications of stable commutator length to surface subgroups. His work bridges geometric group theory with low-dimensional topology and dynamical systems.

He has contributed to prominent journals like *Invent. Math.*, *Trans. Amer. Math. Soc.*, and *Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems*. Key recent work includes studies on irrational rotations, Kervaire conjectures, and spectral gaps in groups.

Chen advises graduate students, emphasizing rigorous weekly meetings and independent research training. He teaches advanced courses in linear algebra and topology, and actively participates in seminars such as the Geometry and Geometric Analysis Seminar and Topology Seminar at Purdue.