Dr Jock McOrist
Senior Lecturer in Mathematics - School of Science and Technology
Phone: +61 02 6773 3142
Biography
Originally from Coffs Harbour on the NSW north coast, Jock McOrist went to Coffs Harbour High School, better known for its spectacular sea view than academic prowess. Jock was an undergraduate at Sydney University where he won the University Medal and first class honours in theoretical physics under Professor Don Melrose. Dr McOrist won the BHP Science and Engineering Fulbright Scholarship to study for his PhD at the University of Chicago, which he completed in 2009 under the supervision of Savdeep Sethi. Jock won an EPSRC Postdoctoral Fellowship which he undertook at the University of Cambridge in the centre for Mathematical Sciences from 2009-2012. Dr McOrist was tenured as Lecturer/Senior Lecturer at the University of Surrey 2012 before joining UNE January 2020.
Qualifications
PhD University of Chicago, USA, 2009
M.S. University of Chicago (USA) 2006
M.Sc. University of Sydney, Australia 2006
B. Sc. University of Sydney, Australia 2003
Awards
BHP Biliton Science and Engineering Fulbright Scholar 2004-2009
Ledley Fellow 2005-2009
Sugarman Prize 2009
EPSRC Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Cambridge 2009-2012
PI STFC Consolidated Grant, University of Surrey 2014-2018
Clay Mathematics Research Institute Workshop grant 2014
University Medal, University of Sydney
Teaching Areas
Mathematics
Physics
Primary Research Area/s
Mathematics; Physics; Differential Geometry; String TheoryResearch Interests
My research started its life in theoretical physics and over the past 15 years has steadily become more and more mathematical in nature. My research now lies at the intersection between a branch of mathematics, geometry, and a branch of particle physics known as string theory. I am not the first to do this! It is an extremely fruitful place to be --- over the past 40 years in particular, we have seen great insights by taking results in one field and transplanting them, with a little bit of fertiliser, into an adjacent field. This is precision agriculture at its best.
At a more technical level I use results from quantum field theories, especially those exhibiting supersymmetry, to understand the geometry of moduli spaces. Solutions of quantum field theories, at some level, amount to solutions of partial differential equations. These solutions have parameters and these parameters can be interpreted as coordinates on an auxiliary geometry known as the moduli space. The moduli space is almost never smooth and very often has quite singular features. This is a feature, not a bug! For example, the connection between quantum field theories and geometry allows us to define a natural metric on these moduli spaces. With this metric (Profs Philip Candelas FRS, Xenia de la Ossa in Oxford and myself developed this for a large class of quantum field theories), the geometry exhibits beautiful features. This comes under the auspice of “special geometry” (mathematicians are not known for creative linguistic skills) and this allows us to compute quantities known as invariants remarkably quickly and easily at least when compared with other traditional mathematical methods.
I am always interested in potential PhD students and honours students. Generous scholarships are available through the university. Get in touch for more information if you are interested.
Research Supervision Experience
PhD students
Roberto Sisca 2016-2019
Andrea Fontanella 2015-2018 (secondary supervisor)
Publications
Small gauge transformations and universal geometry in heterotic theories, J. McOrist, R Sisca, arXiv:1904.07578.
Universal Geometry of Heterotic Moduli, P. Candelas, X de la Ossa, J. McOrist, R. Sisca, JHEP 1902 (2019) 038, DOI: 10.1007/JHEP02(2019)038, arXiv:1810.00879
On the Effective Field Theory of Heterotic Vacua, J. McOrist, Lett. Math. Phys. 108 (2018) no.4, 1031-1081, DOI 10.1007/s11005-017-1025-0, arXiv:1606.05221
A Metric for Heterotic Modul, P. Candelas, X de la Ossa, J. McOrist, Commun. Math. Phys. 356 (2017) no.2, 567-612 DOI 10.1007/s00220-017-2978-7, arXiv:1605.05256 (51 p.p.)
M-theory and type IIA Flux Compactifications, J. McOrist and S. Sethi, JHEP 1212 (2012) 122, arXiv:1208.0261
Geometries, Non-Geometries and Fluxes, J. McOrist, D. R. Morrison and S. Sethi, Adv. Theor. Math. Phys., 14, (2010), 1515.
(0,2) Deformations of Linear Sigma Models, M. Kreuzer, J. McOrist, I. Melnikov, R. Plesser, JHEP 1107 (2011) 044, arXiv:1001.2104
Summing the Instantons in Half-Twisted Linear Sigma Models, J. McOrist and I. Melnikov, JHEP 0902:026 (2009)
Memberships
Australian Mathematical Society
Australian and New Zealand Mathematical Physics Society
