Speaker Introduction

Abbas Mohamed Sherif hails from Liberia and is currently a Research Faculty at the Institute of Mathematics, Henan Academy of Sciences, China. He obtained his Masters and Doctorate degrees from Stellenbosch and KwaZulu-Natal Universities, South Africa, respectively. He has held Postdoctoral Research positions in South Africa at the University of Cape Town, Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, and in South Korea at Jeju National University and the Center for Geometry and Physics, Institute for Basic Science. His work primarily centers around aspects of Mathematical General Relativity, where he addresses the issue of black hole horizon evolution and stability. In addition, he has interests in other problems such as symmetries of spacetimes and their implications for horizons. He has authored several peer reviewed papers in internationally reputable journals such as JHEP, CQG, and PRD.

Abstract

Black holes have fascinated physicists and mathematicians alike over the last century and half. Their mathematical formulation as an inevitable and unenviable feature of gravitational collapse has led to a very deep understanding of our universe and paved the way to new mathematics. Many generic properties of black holes can be gleaned from their boundary or horizon, for which local characterizations now allow the tracking of the formation of a black hole. In this talk I will provide a brief history of black holes and the current understanding of their evolution and geometrization. The various works that have contributed to fundamental understanding, including the very small part that I have played in this, and where things currently stand, will be discussed. Future avenues for exploration will be suggested.