J.P. McCarthy

J.P. McCarthy is a Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at Munster Technological University (MTU), Ireland. His research focuses on Quantum Groups, Random Walks on Finite Quantum Groups, and related areas in Operator Algebras and Mathematical Physics. He completed his PhD in Mathematics at University College Cork (UCC) in 2017 under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Wills, with a thesis titled Random Walks on Finite Quantum Groups — Diaconis-Shahshahani Theory for Quantum Groups. He also holds an MSc by Research and BSc in Joint Honours Mathematics & Physics from UCC.

McCarthy’s work explores quantum symmetries, ergodic theory on quantum groups, and applications of representation theory. Recent publications include advancements in the Frucht property for quantum groups, state-space approaches to quantum permutations, and ergodic theorems for random walks on quantum structures. He has supervised research students in data science and analytics, including topics like mortality rate smoothing and sports betting clustering.

Teaching interests span engineering mathematics, data science, and foundational courses for teachers. He contributes actively to mathematics education through initiatives like the Transposition Project and engages with online communities (e.g., Math.StackExchange, MathOverflow).

Affiliations include the MIC-MTU-UCC Quantum Mathematics research group and participation in international workshops/conferences on quantum groups and noncommutative probability. He is a regular speaker on topics like quantum permutation groups and the philosophy of pure mathematics in applied contexts.