Jonathan Leake

Jonathan Leake is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Combinatorics and Optimization at the University of Waterloo. His research lies at the intersection of combinatorics, optimization, and theoretical computer science, with a focus on log-concave and Lorentzian polynomials and their applications in discrete and continuous settings.

• Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo (2022–present)
• Dirichlet Postdoctoral Fellow, TU Berlin (2020–2022)
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Institut Mittag-Leffler, Stockholm (Spring 2020)
• Postdoctoral Fellow, KTH, Stockholm (Fall 2019)
• James H. Simons Fellow, Simons Institute, UC Berkeley (Spring 2019)

His research explores the deep connections between algebraic structures and combinatorial phenomena, particularly through polynomial capacity and Lorentzian polynomials. He applies these tools to problems in optimization, sampling, and representation theory. His work often involves developing new algebraic and analytic techniques to tackle longstanding conjectures and algorithmic challenges.

The recent publications highlight a consistent focus on Lorentzian polynomials, capacity bounds, and their applications in combinatorics, optimization, and theoretical computer science. Key themes include matroid theory, log-concavity, sampling algorithms, volume approximation, and connections to Lie theory and representation theory. The research spans both theoretical developments and algorithmic applications, often in collaboration with leading researchers in the field.

• Dirichlet Postdoctoral Fellowship, TU Berlin
• Postdoc Fellowship in Algebraic and Enumerative Combinatorics, Institut Mittag-Leffler
• James H. Simons Fellowship, Simons Institute, UC Berkeley

Jonathan Leake has advised or collaborated with several researchers, though formal advisees are not listed in the provided text. His work has been supported by prestigious fellowships and collaborations with institutions such as the Simons Institute and TU Berlin. He has taught courses including CO 250: Introduction to Optimization, MATH 239: Introduction to Combinatorics, and CO 739: Lorentzian Polynomials at the University of Waterloo and TU Berlin.

While specific lab or research group names are not mentioned, Leake's collaborative work with researchers like Petter Brändén, Nisheeth Vishnoi, and Leonid Gurvits suggests active participation in research teams focused on algebraic combinatorics, optimization, and theoretical computer science. His publicly shared code for sampling from HCIZ densities and verifying positivity in Lie-theoretic contexts indicates an active computational research component.