Dr Costis PapageorgakisReader in Theoretical Physics | Academic Lead for Employability and Graduate OpportunitiesEmail: c.papageorgakis@qmul.ac.ukTelephone: 020 7882 5806Room Number: G. O. Jones Building, Room 608ProfileTeachingResearchPublicationsSupervisionProfileI am a Reader in Theoretical Physics at the Centre for Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy. My work has focussed on various aspects of supersymmetric/superconformal field theories and their relation to String/M-theory. I hold an undergraduate diploma from the University of Patras (Greece), an MSc from Durham University and a PhD from Queen Mary University of London. I have previously held postdoctoral positions at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (India), King's College London and Rutgers University (USA). TeachingI teach the MSc/MSci course "Differential Geometry in Theoretical Physics" (DGTP) and the undergraduate course "Quantum Mechanics and Symmetry", over the first and second semesters respectively of the 2023-2024 academic year. I am a Fellow of Advance HE.ResearchResearch Interests:I am broadly interested in the study of D-brane and M-brane dynamics, in string and M-theory respectively, as well as the structure of their associated supersymmetric/superconformal gauge theories. In the past I have worked towards understanding multiple M2-branes in terms of superconformal Chern-Simons-matter theory in three dimensions, and multiple M5-branes through the superconformal (2,0) theory in six dimensions. More recently I have investigated various aspects of superconformal field theories in diverse dimensions. A broad toolkit of approaches and techniques can be used to that effect, including the conformal bootstrap, the study of anomalies, superconformal indices and exact methods such as supersymmetric localisation. I have also researched the dynamics of solitons undergoing acceleration. My current research focuses on the application of Machine Learning to conformal field theories. A summary of this work can be found on this page.Examples of research funding: Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship (UKRI GF): “Holography and Quantum Black Holes”, C. Papageorgakis (PI), M. Hosseini (PDRA) 2024-2026 (£200,512) STFC Consolidated Grant: "Amplitudes, Strings and Duality", A Brandhuber (PI), D Berman, M Buican, R Monteiro, C Papageorgakis, M Perry, S Ramgoolam, R Russo, B Spence, G Travaglini, D Vegh, C Wen, C White 2023-2026 (£1,477,965) STFC Consolidated Grant, "Amplitudes, Strings and Duality", A Brandhuber (PI), DS Berman, M Buican, MB Green, R Monteiro, C Papageorgakis, S Ramgoolam, R Russo, W Spence, G Travaglini, D Vegh and C White 2020-2023 (£890,210) Royal Society Research Fellows Enhancement Awards 2018-2021 (£202,394) Royal Society University Research Fellowship Renewal 2018-2021 (£372,630) Royal Society Research Fellows Enhancement Awards 2017-2021 (£96,838) STFC Consolidated Grant, String Theory, Gauge Theory and Duality, A Brandhuber (PI), DS Berman, C Papageorgakis, S Ramgoolam, R Russo, M Shigemori, G Travaglini and C White 2017-2020 (£693,833) Royal Society University Research Fellowship 2013 - 2018 (£451,098) Publications(A complete and up to date list of publications with an accurate citation count can also be found at this link) Kántor G, Niarchos V, Papageorgakis C et al. (2023). 6D (2,0) bootstrap with the soft-actor-critic algorithm. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.107.025005 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/84509 Andriolo E, Niarchos V, Papageorgakis C et al. (2023). Covariantly Constant Anomalies on Conformal Manifolds. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.107.025006 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/83843 Andriolo E, Lambert N, Orchard T et al. (2022). A path integral for the chiral-form partition function. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP04(2022)115 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/78093 Kántor G, Niarchos V, Papageorgakis C (2022). Solving Conformal Field Theories with Artificial Intelligence. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.041601 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/75343 Kántor G, Niarchos V, Papageorgakis C (2022). Conformal bootstrap with reinforcement learning. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.105.025018 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/75663 Agarwal P, Andriolo E, Kántor G et al. (2021). Macdonald indices for four-dimensional N=3 theories. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.103.L121701 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/71898 Niarchos V, Papageorgakis C, Pini A et al. (2021). (Mis-)matching type-B anomalies on the Higgs branch. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP01(2021)106 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/69236 Melnikov IV, Papageorgakis C, Royston AB (2020). Accelerating solitons. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.102.125002 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/67302 Melnikov IV, Papageorgakis C, Royston AB (2020). Forced Soliton Equation and Semiclassical Soliton Form Factors. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.231601 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/67999 Andriolo E, Lambert N, Papageorgakis C (2020). Geometrical aspects of an Abelian (2,0) action. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP04(2020)200 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/63966 Niarchos V, Papageorgakis C, Pomoni E (2020). Type-B anomaly matching and the 6D (2,0) theory. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP04(2020)048 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/63538 Kántor G, Papageorgakis C, Richmond P (2020). AdS7 black-hole entropy and 5D N = 2 Yang-Mills. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP01(2020)017 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/62098 Hayling J, Niarchos V, Papageorgakis C (2019). Deconstructing defects. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP02(2019)067 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/55443 Hayling J, Panerai R, Papageorgakis C (2018). Deconstructing little strings with N = 1 gauge theories on ellipsoids. nameOfConference DOI: 10.21468/SciPostPhys.4.6.042 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/42005 Hayling J, Papageorgakis C, Pomoni E et al. (2017). Exact deconstruction of the 6D (2,0) theory. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP06(2017)072 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/24775 Buican M, Hayling J, Papageorgakis C (2016). Aspects of superconformal multiplets in D > 4. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP11(2016)091 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/18192 Papageorgakis C, Pini A, Rodríguez-Gómez D (2016). Nekrasov-Shatashvili limit of the 5D superconformal index. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.94.045007 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/15427 Lambert N, Papageorgakis C, Schmidt-Sommerfeld M (2015). Instanton operators in five-dimensional gauge theories. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP03(2015)019 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/10804 Buican M, Giacomelli S, Nishinaka T et al. (2015). Argyres-Douglas theories and S-duality. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP02(2015)185 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/8516 Buican M, Nishinaka T, Papageorgakis C (2014). Constraints on chiral operators in N=2 SCFTs. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP12(2014)095 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/7541 Papageorgakis C, Royston AB (2014). Instanton-soliton loops in 5D super-Yang-Mills. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1090/pspum/088/01467 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/54208 Papageorgakis C, Royston AB (2014). Revisiting soliton contributions to perturbative amplitudes. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP09(2014)128 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/10802 Papageorgakis C, Royston AB (2014). Scalar soliton quantization with generic moduli. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP06(2014)003 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/10803 Lambert N, Papageorgakis C, Schmidt-Sommerfeld M (2013). Deconstructing (2,0) proposals. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.88.026007 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/9714 Bagger J, Lambert N, Mukhi S et al. (2013). Multiple membranes in M-theory. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1016/j.physrep.2013.01.006 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/9718 Lambert N, Nastase H, Papageorgakis C (2012). 5D Yang-Mills instantons from Aharony-Bergman-Jafferis-Maldacena monopoles. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.85.066002 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/49400 Nastase H, Papageorgakis C (2011). Dimensional reduction of the ABJM model. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP03(2011)094 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/49395 Chu X, Nastase H, Nilsson BEW et al. (2011). Higgsing M2 to D2 with gravity: N = 6 chiral supergravity from topologically gauged ABJM theory. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP04(2011)040 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/49393 Lambert N, Papageorgakis C, Schmidt-Sommerfeld M (2011). M5-Branes, D4-Branes and quantum 5D super-Yang-Mills. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP01(2011)083 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/49394 Papageorgakis C, Sämann C (2011). The 3-Lie algebra (2,0) tensor multiplet and equations of motion on loop space. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP05(2011)099 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/49399 Nastase H, Papageorgakis C (2010). Bifundamental fuzzy 2-Sphere and fuzzy killing spinors. nameOfConference DOI: 10.3842/SIGMA.2010.058 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/49390 Lambert N, Papageorgakis C (2010). Relating U(N) × U(N) to SU(N) × SU(N) Chern-Simons membrane theories. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP04(2010)104 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/49391 Lambert N, Papageorgakis C (2010). Nonabelian (2,0) tensor multiplets and 3-algebras. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1007/JHEP08(2010)083 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/49392 Nastase H, Papageorgakis C (2009). Fuzzy killing spinors and supersymmetric d4 action on the fuzzy 2-sphere from the ABJM model. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1088/1126-6708/2009/12/049 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/49389 Nastase H, Papageorgakis C, Ramgoolam S (2009). The fuzzy S 2 structure of M2-M5 systems in ABJM membrane theories. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1088/1126-6708/2009/05/123 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/48784 Ezhuthachan B, Mukhi S, Papageorgakis C (2009). The power of the Higgs mechanism: Higher-derivative BLG theories. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1088/1126-6708/2009/04/101 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/49388 Ezhuthachan B, Mukhi S, Papageorgakis C (2008). D2 to D2. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1088/1126-6708/2008/07/041 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/49387 Bedford J, Papageorgakis C, Zoubos K (2008). Adding flavour to twistor strings. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/110/10/102001 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/49383 Distler J, Mukhi S, Papageorgakis C et al. (2008). M2-branes on M-folds. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1088/1126-6708/2008/05/038 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/49385 Bedford J, Papageorgakis C, Zoubos K (2008). Adding flavour to twistor strings. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/110/0/102001 QMRO: qmroHref Mukhi S, Papageorgakis C (2008). M2 to D2. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1088/1126-6708/2008/05/085 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/49384 Bedford J, Papageorgakis C, Zoubos K (2007). Twistor strings with flavour. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1088/1126-6708/2007/11/088 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/48864 Bedford J, Papageorgakis C, Rodríguez-Gómez D et al. (2007). Big bang and big crunch in matrix string theory. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.75.085014 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/48843 Papageorgakis C, Ramgoolam S (2006). On time-dependent collapsing branes and fuzzy odd-dimensional spheres. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1142/S0217751X06034161 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/48804 PAPAGEORGAKIS C (2006). On matrix D-brane dynamics and fuzzy spheres. nameOfConference DOI: doi QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/10795 McNamara S, Papageorgakis C, Ramgoolam S et al. (2006). Finite N effects on the collapse of fuzzy spheres. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1088/1126-6708/2006/05/060 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/15714 Papageorgakis C, Ramgoolam S, Toumbas N (2006). Noncommutative geometry, quantum effects and DBI-scaling in the collapse of D0-D2 bound states. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1088/1126-6708/2006/01/030 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/48824 Papageorgakis C, Ramgoolam S (2005). Large-small dualities between periodic collapsing/expanding branes and brane funnels. nameOfConference DOI: 10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2005.09.044 QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/48764 SupervisionPhD students: Alexander Stapleton (jointly with D. Berman-PhD expected 2026) Mitchell Woolley (PhD expected 2026) Enrico Andriolo (PhD 2023) Gergely Kántor (PhD 2022) Joseph Hayling (PhD 2019) I am also interested in taking on new students for the following project: Project Title Conformal Field Theories and Artificial Intelligence Conformal Field Theories are mathematical descriptions of natural phenomena that look the same at all length scales. They find fundamental applications over a large spectrum of topics ranging from condensed-matter physics, particle physics, string theory and quantum gravity. They are, however, incredibly hard to solve with the exception of a handful of examples. This project aims to exploit the tremendous recent progress in Artificial Intelligence to solve arbitrary conformal field theories. This will be achieved by utilising machine-learning techniques similar to those used by Google’s DeepMind Technologies when building the AlphaGo programme, which spectacularly beat professional Go champions. Requirements: A very good grasp of graduate Quantum Field Theory and supersymmetry, as well as some basic conformal field theory and string theory. Coding experience is desirable.