Welcome to the webpage of the research group
VBAC - Vector Bundles on Algebraic Curves
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Professor Peter E. Newstead passed away on 27 July, 2024. Peter was an extraordinary mathematician and human being. He leaves a lasting legacy through his mathematical work and through his large influence on generations of young mathematicians. The VBAC group which he founded and chaired until 2020 has been instrumental in setting directions for research and for integrating many young algebraic geometers in the community. He will be greatly missed. |
A brief history of VBAC
In the late eighties and early nineties Peter E. Newstead organized a series of workshops in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Liverpool. In particular, in 1991 he organized the Workshop on ''Brill-Noether Theory for Vector Bundles'' that led to the creation of the European research group on ''Vector Bundles over Algebraic Curves'' (VBAC), which very soon became a flourishing international research group.
In 1994 international conferences began to be organized in different European countries, such as Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. There was also a meeting in Mexico to celebrate the 65th birthday of the founder and Chair of the VBAC group until 2020, Peter E. Newstead. In the period 2020-2024 the group was chaired by Leticia Brambila-Paz.
For more than two decades, the VBAC group has been responsible for organizing annual conferences which have been highly influential in setting directions for future research and integrating young and underrepresented researchers in the scientific community. The conferences focus on important current topics related to VBAC in a broad sense. Here is the complete list of the Previous VBAC conferences.
The VBAC conferences have been funded by different projects and grants such as those with the European Community, in particular, the group won EuroConference grants for the period 2001-2003 and for the period 1998-2000. In 1994, VBAC was supported by Europroj. The conferences have also been financed by different local institutions in the host country and by organizations such as ESF - European Science, GEAR Network, Clay Mathematics Institute, CIMPA, Foundation Compositio Mathematica. We acknowledge the support of all the local sources and the local organizers of the VBACs.
Objectives of VBAC
The purpose of the VBAC group is to bring together the leading experts in the area to take stock of the latest developments and map out directions for future research. The conferences are an opportunity to present research and establish new collaborations. An equally important objective, in keeping with VBAC tradition, is to give young researchers and women the opportunity to present and discuss their work with senior experts, and to contribute to integrating them into the scientific community. The VBAC research group is run by a Scientific Committee that organizes the annual conferences that allows us to support and grow our research community.
VBAC during the corona era
We were unable to hold our annual conference in 2020 and 2021. The VBAC 2022 Conference took place at the University of Warwick, 25-29 July, 2022, in a hybrid format and with a significant in-person component. In order to still play an active role in the research community and support young and underrepresented researchers, we launched an ongoing series of webinars which takes place every two months and focusses on different topics related to VBAC.