Congrats on Successful Dissertation Defense

We warmly congratulate Fernando Camacho Cadena on the successful defense of his PhD thesis! His dissertation focuses on the symplectic geometry of higher rank Teichmüller spaces, a topic that sits at the interface of geometry, dynamics, and Lie theory. Together with Anna Wienhard and James Farre, Fernando introduced the concept of subsurface deformations and showed that Hamiltonian flows associated with invariant multi-functions take this form. A further highlight of the thesis is the proof that the Hamiltonian flow of the length function for certain self-intersecting curves has periodic orbits. 

Fernando’s research explores Teichmüller spaces and their higher-rank generalizations — spaces of surface group representations into Lie groups, known for their rich geometric and dynamical structure. He particularly investigates their symplectic nature, where energy-preserving motions (Hamiltonian flows) provide a deep understanding of the underlying geometry.

Fernando completed his undergraduate studies in Mathematics and Engineering at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, in 2019. He then pursued a Master’s degree in Mathematics at the University of Zurich, which he completed in 2021. He started his doctoral studies at Heidelberg University under the supervision of Anna Wienhard and James Farre and moved to the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences in 2023, after Anna Wienhard has been appointed director in Leipzig. During his PhD, Fernando undertook research stays at Yale University and at the Institute for Advanced Study.  

In October, Fernando will take up a postdoctoral position at the University of Strasbourg where he will join the group of Nalini Anantharaman. 

We wish Fernando all the best in his new position and in his personal life!