Renee Hoekzema

Renee Hoekzema is a tenure track assistant professor at the Mathematics Department of the Free University of Amsterdam, where she conducts research in topological data analysis and algebraic topology, focusing on manifolds, cobordism categories, and topological quantum field theories. Prior to this, she held postdoctoral positions at the Centre for Topological Data Analysis at the University of Oxford, the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn, and the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Copenhagen.

• Education
  • DPhil (PhD) in Mathematics, University of Oxford, supervised by Ulrike Tillmann (topology of manifolds and cobordism categories)
  • DPhil (PhD) in Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, supervised by the late Martin Brasier (morphology of Ediacaran organisms)
  • Master's thesis on quantum gravity, Utrecht University, supervised by Renate Loll and Tom Ilmanen

Her research bridges pure and applied mathematics, with a particular focus on topological data analysis (TDA) in biomedicine and the study of k-orientable manifolds and their Euler characteristics. She has contributed to understanding the link between cobordism and Frobenius algebras, as well as advancing the classification of manifolds using cut and paste invariants.

Renee’s collaborative work includes publications in Entropy, Cell, and the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Her research on the orientability of high-dimensional manifolds has gained attention for its implications in both pure mathematics and theoretical physics. She also played a key role as a scientific advisor in translating Roger Penrose’s book The Road to Reality into Dutch, highlighting her interdisciplinary and outreach efforts.

• Scientific Awards
  • VENI fellowship
  • Altmetric top 5% attention score for the Dickinsonia article

Her interdisciplinary collaborations span institutions like the University of Oxford’s Centre for Topological Data Analysis, where she worked with Heather Harrington and Helen Byrne, and teams in biomedical research on COVID-19 data analysis. She actively contributes to public engagement through the blog Picture this Maths and a podcast on mathematics.