Dr. Nikolai Makarov

Biography

Nikolai Makarov is the Richard Merkin Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He has contributed significantly to the fields of complex analysis, particularly in potential theory, harmonic analysis, and spectral theory, with applications in complex dynamics and mathematical conformal field theory. His research includes Coulomb gas models and random matrices, and he has explored various advanced topics such as topology of quadrature domains, Hele-Shaw flows, and the uncertainty principle through non-linear Fourier transforms. Makarov's recent work delves into universality laws for field convergence in normal random matrix ensembles, along with the dynamics of Schwarz reflection, mating of Kleinian groups, and rational maps. He has a rich academic background that includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from Leningrad University and a Ph.D. from the LOMI Mathematics Institute in Leningrad. He joined Caltech as a Visiting Professor in 1991, became a full Professor in 1991 until 2013, and has held his current distinguished position since then.

Research Interests