University of North Texas

Charles Conley studies Lie groups, an area of mathematics with limitless possibilities. He's also a hiker, biker, traveler, and - with his wife's assistance - diner.

What is your position? How long have you been at UNT?

I am an associate professor in the Department of Math. I came to UNT in 1997, after four post-doctoral positions … and five moves in six years, to Princeton, Boston, Berkeley and Stillwater, before Denton. But we weren’t quite through moving yet: I was offered a postdoctoral position in Dijon, France  and UNT was kind enough to let me take it after a year in Denton. Fortunately my wife loves Europe, so she didn’t mind those last two moves!

What is your professional and academic background? 

I did my undergraduate work in math at MIT. I then spent two years working toward a physics doctorate at Caltech before realizing that I should have stayed in math. So I went to UCLA and did my thesis on Lie groups - pronounced Lee - named after the nineteenth century Norwegian mathematician Sophus Lie, right.

In lay terms, explain Lie algebras?

Lie groups are continuous sets of symmetries; for example, the rotations of space, or the Lorentz transformations of space-time underlying special relativity. They are studied both for their own sake and for their applications to physics, number theory and other things. Lie algebras are a tool for simplifying the study of Lie groups, in some sense allowing one to avoid doing calculus on them. Algebraists will go to great lengths to avoid calculus! The subject is vast: my own research is in a few of its subfields.

What did you study in Dijon?  Parlez-vous de français?

J'ai suit beaucoup de cours de français, mais malheureusement je reste incapable de vraiment parler français. I took several courses in French, including some excellent ones at UNT, but unfortunately I still can't really speak it. 

During my first year in Dijon, my host Moshé Flato suggested that I study a particular type of Lie algebra with one of the mathematicians there. Happily, this project suited me perfectly and revitalized my research career. I have been returning to Dijon ever since. Tragically, Flato passed away a few months after my postdoc started.  I am very grateful to him - he had a remarkable gift for divining young mathematicians' strengths and giving them projects to match.

Tell us about your family.

My wife and I are from Minnesota and Wisconsin. We have an 11- year-old daughter, born in Dijon, and a 15-year-old son, born in Berkeley. They have traveled a fair amount, but they're Texans now.

What are your hobbies?

As a child I took violin lessons, and I still listen to classical music, especially opera. I like board games and brain teasers. I play in pick-up games of Ultimate Frisbee when I get the chance, and I like to follow the UNT club team.

I try to stay in shape by biking to work, and I love to hike with my family. We often go to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma,  and we have camped at Palo Duro Canyon, the Great Smoky Mountains, Mammoth Cave, the Outer Banks, and even Cornwall and the Scottish Highlands. A few years ago I went with a friend into the Sierra backcountry for a week - an unforgettable experience.

My wife has taught me the pleasures of fine dining and world travel. She speaks French and Italian and has shown me around Rome, Venice, Paris and Florence, in the process teaching me to enjoy long dinners with many courses. We've been to some wonderful restaurants in Europe, but one of our most memorable nights out was right here in Dallas, at the amazing Mansion on Turtle Creek.

(Interview by Megan Beck, student assistant, University Relations, Communications and Marketing)