Mark Walsh

Mark Walsh is an Associate Professor in Mathematics at Maynooth University, affiliated with the Faculty of Science & Engineering and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. His academic journey includes roles as Associate Professor at Wichita State University, Visiting Assistant Professor at Oregon State University, and Postdoctoral Researcher at WWU Muenster. He earned his PhD from the University of Oregon under Boris Botvinnik.

His research explores the interplay between curvature (scalar and Ricci) and topology, particularly how geometric constraints shape the space of Riemannian metrics on manifolds. Key themes include deformation invariance, cobordism theory, and homotopy classifications. His work addresses fundamental questions like: "What topological shapes admit specific curvatures?" and "How do metrics evolve under curvature constraints?"

Awards recognizing his contributions include:

• Simons Foundation Collaboration Award (2013)
• University of Oregon D. K. Harrison Award for Best PhD Thesis (2009)
• Johnson Fellowship Award (2008)

He mentors graduate students in geometry/topology and teaches courses from introductory calculus to advanced differential geometry. Outreach includes directing the North Kildare Maths Problem Solving Club and public lectures on topics like soap-film geometry.