Research

PhD student in the High Energy Physics Group at DAMTP, working under the supervision of Professor Fernando Quevedo.

Main fields of interest: intersections of mathematics with theoretical physics. Higher categories, representation theory, and their application to SCFTs. 

Newnham College member since 2019. 

Career

• 2020-present PhD in Theoretical Physics at DAMTP, HEP Group
• 2019-2020 MASt in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at DAMTP, University of Cambridge 
• February 2017-September 2019 Visiting Researcher, member of the String Cosmology and Phenomenology Group at ICTP, Trieste 

• September 2016 - July 2019 Master Degree in Theoretical Physics, University of Trieste, supervised by Professor Fernando Quevedo

• September 2013 - July 2016 Bachelor Degree in Physics, University of Trieste  

Research experience                                              

•  29th of June - 16th of July 2023 Visiting researcher at the Yau Center for Mathematical Sciences, Beijing, China, (for presenting [2306.12471] relating representation theory, higher categories and gauge theory). Local hosts: Professor Nicolai Reshetikhin and Professor Shing-Tung Yau.

• 17th of April - 30th of April 2023 Visiting researcher at the Hodge Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK, for presenting and discussing a recently completed work on higher categorical structures and condensating homomorphisms from 6D ${\cal N}=(2,0)$ SCFTs. Local hosts: Professor David Jordan and Professor Tudor Dimofte.   

• February 2017 - September 2019 Visiting researcher at ICTP in the String Phenomenology and Cosmology group. During this period I worked on my Master Thesis, supervised by Professor Fernando Quevedo.  

Publications and preprints

       1. "Drinfeld Centers from Magnetic Quivers", V. Pasquarella, [2306.12471] Drinfeld Centers from Magnetic Quivers (arxiv.org)

     3. "Vacuum Transitions in Two-Dimensions and their Holographic Interpretation", V. Pasquarella and F. Quevedo, [2211.07664] Vacuum Transitions in Two-Dimensions and their Holographic Interpretation (arxiv.org), J. High Energ. Phys. 2023, 192 (2023). 

           4.   "Quantum Transitions Between Minkowski and de Sitter Spacetimes", S. P. de Alwis, F. Muia, V. Pasquarella and F. Quevedo, September 2019, https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.01975, published in Fortschritte der Physik in 2020   

Talks and presentations given/planned to give at UK and international conferences and seminar series   

• 12$^{th}$ September 2023, NHETC Seminar Series, Rutgers University, NJ, online talk
• 28$^{th}$ August - 8$^{th}$ September 2023, Global Categorical Symmetries School and Workshop, Les Diablerets, Switzerland, gong show presentation of my currently ongoing research and future perspectives
• 21$^{st}$-25$^{th}$ August 2023, Categorical Aspects of Symmetries, Stockholm, Sweden, poster presentation and discussion
• 14$^{th}$-18$^{st}$ August 2023, Higher Structures in Functorial Field Theory, Regensburg, Germany, (talk presenting my currently ongoing research regarding the application of Category Theory and Representation Theory to Supersymmetric Gauge Theory).  
• 31$^{st}$ July-4$^{th}$ August 2023, Simons Collaboration It from Qubit 2023, Perimeter Institute, Canada, (online poster presentation and discussion on part of my currently ongoing research regarding the application of lower-dimensional holographic duality, Category Theory and Representation Theory to defect SCFTs). 
• 24$^{th}$-28$^{th}$ July 2023, Strings 2023, Perimeter Institute, Canada,  (online poster presentation and discussion on  [2305.18515] )
• 17$^{th}$-21$^{st}$ July 2023, Symplectic Singularities and Supersymmetric QFT Workshop, LAMFA, Amiens, France, (poster presentation and discussion on my currently ongoing research regarding the application of Category Theory and Representation Theory to Supersymmetric Gauge Theory).  
• 10$^{th}$-14$^{th}$ July 2023, Geometric Representation Theory Workshop, Yau Center for Mathematical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, (research talk, poster presentation and discussion on my currently ongoing research regarding the application of Category Theory and Representation Theory to Supersymmetric Gauge Theory).  
• 27$^{th}$April 2023, STAMP Seminar, University of Edinburgh, UK, (blackboard talk on my currently ongoing research regarding the application of Category Theory and Representation Theory to Gauge Theory). 
• 26$^{th}$January 2023, 2$^{nd}$ International Conference on Holography and its Applications, Iran, online (talk given on arXiv:2211.07664 [hep-th]). 
• 29$^{th}$November 2022, Liverpool Strings and BTSM Seminar, online (talk given on arXiv:2211.07664 [hep-th]). 
• 17$^{th}$-18$^{th}$November 2022, Simons Collaboration on Global Categorical Symmetries Annual Meeting, The Flatiron Institute, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA. (poster presentation and discussion on latest findings) 
• 7$^{th}$November 2022, Journal Club on Generalised Global Symmetries, DAMTP, UK. (talk given, reviewing examples of non-invertible symmetries in holography, mainly based on Aharony, Seiberg, Tachikawa and Sakura Shafer-Nameki et al.)
• 13$^{th}$September 2022, III HOLAGRAV Siembra YFM, online conference. (talk given)
• 31$^{st}$August-2$^{nd}$September 2022, fpuk meeting, Swansea, UK. (gong show, poster presentation and discussion)
• 18$^{th}$-22$^{nd}$July 2022, Strings 2022, Vienna, AT. (poster presentation and discussion)
• 5$^{th}$July 2022, String Pheno 2022, Liverpool, UK. (talk given)
• 27$^{th}$May 2022, 2$^{nd}$ year PhD talks, DAMTP, UK. (talk given)
• 7$^{th}$April 2022 Journal Club on Large-N Hilbert spaces, DAMTP, UK. (talk given, reviewing recent papers by Edward Witten)

Teaching

• Michaelmas Term 2023: 

     QFT examples classes (Part III)

     QM supervisions (Part IB Maths) 

     Mathematical Methods I superv. (Part IB Nat. Sc.)  

     Cosmology superv. (Part II)

• Lent Term 2024:  

     AQFT examples classes (Part III)

     Mathematical Methods II superv. (Part IB Nat. Sc.)

     Dynamics and Relativity superv. (Part IA)

• Easter Term 2024: 

     Mathematical Methods III superv. (Part IB Nat. Sc.)  

Complementary activities

• Drop-in sessions for QFT and AQFT in Michaelmas and Lent term

Supportive activity

• Notetaker for students with special learning disabilities