Troy University will welcome Fulbright Scholar Dr. Jiří Minarčík a mathematician from the Czech Republic specializing in mathematical modeling, geometric flows and computational geometry, for a series of public lectures and events on the Troy Campus from March 23–26.
Hosted by the Center for Relativity and Cosmology and the University Honors Global Scholars Program through a Fulbright Outreach Lecturing Fund grant, Minarčík’s visit marks the beginning of a broader initiative to bring leading international scholars to campus, fostering collaboration and expanding opportunities for student engagement with active researchers.
“Troy University is deeply committed to the Fulbright mission of building bridges across cultures and communities,” said Dr. Priya Menon, University Honors Director and Fulbright Scholar Alumni Legacy Ambassador. “As a former Fulbright Scholar and Ambassador for the program, I am honored to welcome a scholar from the Czech Republic. His presence at TROY offers our faculty and students a powerful opportunity to engage with global perspectives and to see themselves as part of a wider intellectual and professional world.”
A highlight of the visit will be Minarčík’s public lecture, “Applications of Geometric Flows,” at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 23, in the Troy University Library Multimedia Room.
Geometric flows are equations that describe how shapes evolve over time. In this lecture, he will explore how modeling moving curves and surfaces provides insight into phenomena across scales: from dislocation lines in crystals that influence the strength of materials, through atmospheric vortices such as tornadoes, to magnetic field lines in the solar corona that drive solar eruptions.
“In our work at TROY, we study magnetic fields around black holes, and many of the underlying questions are deeply connected to geometry, which makes collaborations with geometers particularly exciting,” said Dr. Rakshak Adhikari, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Physics. “The Center has a long-term vision of regularly hosting visiting scholars, and Dr. Minarčík’s visit marks the beginning of that broader initiative. Through visits like this, our goal is to create opportunities for TROY students to interact directly with active researchers and see how fundamental ideas in mathematics and physics translate into modern scientific and technological applications.”
Originally from Velké Karlovice in the Czech Republic, Minarčík earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from the Czech Technical University in Prague in 2024. He is currently a Fulbright-Masaryk Scholar at Carnegie Mellon University where he collaborates with Professor Keenan Crane on applications of geometric flows in computer graphics and computational geometry.
In addition to his academic work, Minarčík spent six years as a founding researcher at Resistant AI, applying mathematics and machine learning to fraud detection and anti-money laundering. His research focuses on the geometry of evolving curves and surfaces and their connections to physics and computation.
“I am looking forward to Dr. Minarcik’s visit,” said Dr. Govind Menon, Dean of the College of Science and Engineering. “Academia thrives when ideas are shared without boundaries. After all, mathematics is the only truly universal language.”
Throughout the week, Minarčík will participate in a range of activities designed to engage students, faculty and the broader campus community. The list of public events includes:
- Monday, March 23: 11:00 a.m. – Public Lecture: “Geometric Flows,” Troy University Library Multimedia Room
- Tuesday, March 24: 11:00 a.m. – Lecture: “Hasimoto Fractal,” McCall Hall, Room 114
- Wednesday, March 25: 10:00 a.m. – Lecture: “Codimension Geometric Flows,” McCall Hall, Room 326
- Wednesday, March 25: 12:00 p.m. – Fulbright panel, Troy University Library
In addition to the public events, Minarčík will meet with TROY Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Dr. Kerry Palmer, Senior Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, math and physics faculty and University Honors students. He will also tour the Rosa Parks Museum before his departure.
All public lectures are open to students, faculty and community members.
For more information, contact the Center for Relativity and Cosmology at relativity@troy.edu.
