Three Minute Thesis Competition Triumph for Mathematician

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Mr Shimon Corcos, a PhD candidate in the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, achieved first place at the National Three-Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) for a presentation that described the sober property in hyperspaces, an important facet of his research in mathematical topology.

The 3MT is an annual competition held in 200 universities around the world for the participation of PhD and master’s students who must present their research in just 180 seconds to an audience unfamiliar with their research area. The University of the Free State hosted the South African edition; its Centre for Graduate Support was the first to bring the competition to Africa. UKZN’s Mr Alistair Marais from the College of Law and Management Studies earned fourth place.

Participating in the 3MT helps participants develop presentation, research, and academic communication skills and supports developing students’ ability to explain their work effectively. 

Corcos’ presentation on his PhD research focused on how he is combining topology and computer science, exploring when special geometric spaces called hyperspaces are sober - a property ensuring a clear mathematical relationship between their points and subsets. Sobriety is critical in ordered structures modelling angelic non-determinism, a theoretical computer science design principle for optimal decision-making processes.

Corcos discovered a unique phenomenon: if one of these hyperspaces is sober, all its parts must also be sober, a rare trait in non-Hausdorff mathematical spaces. These findings strengthen the mathematical foundation for computational systems and could advance research in abstract decision-making models, which Corcos aims to contribute to. Professor Dharmanand Baboolal and Dr Cerene Rathilal supervise his work.

The experience of competing alongside 20 other PhD students from 10 universities, whose research topics appeared far more comprehensible, was intimidating to Corcos, but his presentation, the only one in the discipline of Mathematics, received praise from fellow contestants and judges. He was complimented on the delivery of his presentation and translating a difficult concept into one that was engaging for listeners not familiar with mathematical topics; his feedback from judges included comments that it was the perfect example of a three-minute thesis presentation.

Corcos called the experience an amazing one and said hearing his name announced as the winner was surreal and prompted an emotional response and excitement amongst his UKZN colleagues. He enjoyed learning about the differences in PhD experiences at various universities and was encouraged by the congratulatory response he received across UKZN upon his return.

Corcos chose to study at UKZN because of its high national and international academic rankings. The convenience of staying close to home, an entrant scholarship awarded for academic excellence, and the flexibility of UKZN’s BSc programme also influenced his decision. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science Honours in Mathematics summa cum laude, and his summa cum laude master’s research was upgraded to a PhD study upon the examiners’ recommendation, and Corcos has benefited from the strong rapport he has developed with lecturers and researchers in the discipline of Mathematics in strengthening his passion for and skill in mathematical research.

Corcos has presented his research at key conferences, including the Emerging Perspectives in Mathematics II and the 66th Annual Congress of the South African Mathematical Society. His presentation at UKZN’s 2023 Postgraduate Research and Innovation Symposium earned him first place in the oral presentation category. He was among 200 young researchers worldwide invited to the 10th Heidelberg Laureate Forum in Germany. 

Corcos has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Zac Yacoob Scholarship, Lawrence and Constance Robinson Scholarship, Townley Williams Scholarship, and UKZN Doctoral Research Scholarship. He is also the recipient of the Spotlight on Greatness award, which highlights him as one of UKZN’s most inspiring students. 

Beyond research, Corcos is committed to teaching, community service and mathematics communication. He has lectured, tutored, and participated in various educational initiatives, including the MathTales YouTube series and mathematics revision classes for high school students. He also enjoys playing the piano and guitar and spending time with his family. 

He plans to continue his research, possibly through postdoctoral studies and aims to teach at university level.

Words: Christine Cuénod

Photograph: Supplied