CURBAG · Nonlocal Curvatures: Bridging Analysis and Conformal Geometry

Curvature is a fundamental concept in mathematics and physics, capturing how surfaces bend and how space is shaped. From Einstein’s theory of relativity to the behavior of biological membranes, curvature models have led to key advances in both theoretical and applied sciences. In recent years, there has been growing interest in nonlocal models, as they provide a more accurate description of real-world phenomena involving long-range interactions. A major challenge in this area is to define a rigorous notion of nonlocal curvature. This has been achieved for the Euclidean mean curvature, opening a rapidly developing field, but many central questions remain open for more complex curvatures and manifolds. My goal is to advance this active line of research by studying nonlocal curvatures and their deep connections to conformal geometry. The project has two main components: first, I will introduce and analyze new nonlocal analogues of nonlinear curvature equations, focusing on the k-Hessian equations that arise in many geometric problems. Second, in the context of conformal geometry, I will extend the notion of Euclidean nonlocal mean curvature to abstract hypersurfaces and apply it as a boundary condition for the fractional Yamabe problem on manifolds. This will bring together two different communities: analysis and GMT experts studying nonlocal mean curvature on Euclidean surfaces, and geometric analysts working on conformal geometry on abstract manifolds. I will approach these objectives by integrating tools from nonlinear analysis, geometric PDEs, and nonlocal operators in a novel way.The project will be hosted at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid under the supervision of María del Mar González, a leading expert in the field, providing excellent opportunities for advanced training and strongly supporting my career development towards becoming an independent researcher.