A group is a mathematical object encoding natural notions of symmetries and transformations. Geometric group theory is an area in mathematics devoted to the study of discrete groups by exploring connections between algebraic properties of such groups and topological and geometric properties of spaces on which these groups act.
As a distinct area, geometric group theory is relatively new, and became an identifiable branch of mathematics in the early 1990's. Geometric group theory closely interacts with low-dimensional topology, hyperbolic geometry, Lie groups and homogeneous spaces, algebraic topology, computational group theory, and differential geometry. There are also substantial connections with complexity theory, mathematical logic, dynamical systems, probability theory, K-theory, and other areas of mathematics.
Topics: This is an IHES Summer School, organized in partnership with the Clay Mathematical Institute, and the support of the Société Générale, the FMJH, the IUF, the ANR GAMME, the project Jeunes Géomètres and the ERC.