Chris Wendl

Chris Wendl is a Professor of Differential Geometry and Global Analysis at the Humboldt University of Berlin's Institute of Mathematics, part of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. He specializes in symplectic and contact topology, with a focus on pseudoholomorphic curves, contact manifolds, and applications in symplectic field theory.

Education & Academic History:

• PhD in Mathematics from New York University (2005), advised by Helmut Hofer.
• Postdocs at MIT, ETH Zürich, LMU Munich, and Humboldt University.
• Reader at University College London (2014–2016), then returned to Humboldt as Professor (2016–present).

Research Interests:

Wendl's work revolves around the analytical theory of pseudoholomorphic curves, transversality, and their applications in classifying symplectic fillings, studying contact structures, and exploring symplectic dynamics. His contributions include foundational results on super-rigidity, spine removal surgery, and algebraic torsion in contact manifolds.

Awards & Grants:

• ERC Consolidator Grant (€1.6M, 2018–2023).
• Royal Society University Research Fellowship (2011–2016).
• Leverhulme Trust Grant (2013–2016) and EPSRC Grant (2013–2016).

Advising & Service:

• Supervised over 20 PhD, Master's, and Bachelor's students.
• Organized major conferences like SFT10 Berlin (2023) and CAST 2019.
• Editorial roles for Journal of Symplectic Geometry and Geometry & Topology.

Research Group:

Current members include PhD students Gerard Bargalló and Naageswaran Manikandan, and postdocs Marc Kegel and Felix Schmäschke.