Profile

João Gouveia received his PhD in Mathematics in 2011 from the University of Washington, Seattle, and is currently an Associate Professor with Aggregation at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Coimbra. His work is grounded in continuous optimization, but has an eclectic character, combining various areas of mathematics, ranging from algebra to convex analysis, as well as combinatorics and discrete geometry. He also maintains a small, but consistent, parallel activity in Operations Research. Among his efforts, notable contributions include advances in areas as optimization techniques using sums of squares (which employ algebraic geometry and convex optimization techniques to tackle polynomial optimization problems), the theory of extension complexity (which transforms problems of geometric representation complexity of linear programs into matrix factorization problems), and the representation of polytopes by slack matrices (which connects problems in discrete geometry with matrix theory problems). In addition to his mathematical research, he has a strong presence in promoting mathematics among non-university level students. He coordinates the Delfos School and frequently collaborates with the Portuguese Mathematics Olympiad, along with other outreach activities. He has also been part of the board of CIM (International Mathematics Center) and was a member of the Young Scientists Seminar of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon.