Italian mathematician wins major grant in Hungarian colors
Interview with Marco Marengon
Marco Marengon, one of the winners of the Excellence grant announced for the first time this year, is a senior fellow at the Rényi Institute. The research grant, managed by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH), aims to provide a preparation opportunity for the European Research Council (ERC) grant programs for researchers who can boast outstanding international grant results. We asked the mathematician about his achievements and goals, and a little about what life is like here, as an Italian. After his international career, but still young, he chose a Hungarian institution to continue his research.
After England, Germany and the United States, you came to Hungary after winning a Marie Curie grant. Why did you choose the Rényi Institute to continue your research?
The Hungarian connection had already begun in London, as my doctoral supervisor, András Juhász, is a mathematician of Hungarian origin. For the Marie Curie scholarship application, I could choose where to continue my work. I was looking for a professional workshop where there is an international, flourishing scientific life, with recognized big names and active connections in the field of mathematics, including my narrower topic, topology. It was clear that I would choose the Rényi Institute. I based my decision on two reasons, one of which was scientific. A group here was already dealing with the topic that was close to my area of interest. The other reason for my decision was its international recognition. The Rényi Institute is a renowned research center recognized abroad. The international character is strengthened by the fact that the new Erdős Center established within the institute organizes thematic research semesters, in which experts and young researchers come from all over the world. The international environment is crucial for research: there is a continuous flow of information between specialists, there is no risk of isolation from the research direction, and I can learn a lot from the many successful researchers. There is a very active research community working here. There are whiteboards in the communal spaces so that we can quickly sketch mathematical ideas, and there are conferences held roughly every week in the summer. Another advantage for me was that the job does not involve teaching obligations, which helps me to focus my time and energy on my research. It is doubtful that any other European institution has such an international openness, so I plan to stay here for a long time and, with the help of the grant I have just won, I will establish a research group. The Rényi Institute is a wonderful place for research, I am very proud to be here.
The international environment can also provide an opportunity for researchers to get to know the way of thinking of other nations, so a given mathematical topic can even be shed in a new light. Do you have any experience with this?
Every nation has its own school in the same research field. For example, in my field of research, the American, Japanese, English and of course Hungarian schools have different favourite techniques or ways of thinking about the same problem. There is a huge and fruitful exchange of ideas between these schools.
International perspectives in a research group allow for the application of different methods in order to achieve better results. In my field, there is a Japanese school, for a while they had a rather distinctive style. The questions that occupied the Japanese researchers were different from the American researchers' interests. However, communication has changed now, it is easier to reach a Japanese researcher by email than before, or to organize an international event, but of course personal meetings are still important.
Our research group is also international, but the topic has gained new momentum thanks to two Hungarian mathematicians. We deal with four-dimensional shapes, which is a modern and active research area. The universe we live in has three spatial dimensions (forward-backward, left-right, up-down) and one temporal dimension (forward-backward in time), so four dimensions in total. The questions in the four-dimensional case are unexpectedly complex, and qualitatively different phenomena occur than in any other dimension. The study of these various, "exotic" phenomena began in the 1980s, but gained significant momentum from the 1990s and 2000s, largely thanks to the two Hungarian mathematicians mentioned above, Péter Ozsváth and Zoltán Szabó. One of the most important tools for studying four-dimensional surfaces are "knots", such as those tied by sailors, but this time from a mathematical perspective, of course.
Recently, the news came out that you won the Excellence grant announced by the NKFIH for the first time this year, under which you can build a research group with a grant of 150 million forints for two years. The prerequisite for this was to perform well in the “Starting Grant” category of the prestigious ERC (European Research Council) grant. No researcher in the HUN-REN network has won such a grant in five years, and only a few Hungarian researchers have made it to the second round (where research plans must be presented in an interview). What is the purpose of using the opportunity provided by the Excellence grant?
With the ample research framework, I really have the opportunity to create a scientific research group. I have collaborated with PhD students and postdoctoral fellows before, but I have never been in a position to plan with them for the long term. The grant I won is my first opportunity to create a research group and be given greater responsibility.
You live your everyday life here as an Italian. Do you miss Italy, the Italian lifestyle, or maybe a good Italian pizza that you can't get here?
Italy is close, only an hour by plane, but I have many Italian friends here, we meet occasionally, talk, and I can use my native language. I don't miss home specifically, because my research is completely absorbed. As for pizza, you can get really great pizza here. I already know quite a few restaurants well.