University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Mathematics

Program ID:

UCLA-GEOREU26 [#1905]

Program Title:

Geometry Topology REU at UCLA 2026

Program Type:

Undergraduate program

Program Location:

Los Angeles, California 90095, United States of America

Subject Area:

Geometry and Topology

Appl Deadline:

2026/04/15 23:59:59* (posted 2026/02/17)

Program Description:

The REU is a six-week summer program offered by the Geometry and Topology group at UCLA, funded by an NSF Research and Training Grant (RTG).

Topic: In 2026, the research topic will be Toric Geometry and Singularity Theory. This program provides students the opportunity to immerse themselves in active research projects in Algebraic Geometry, an important branch of mathematics, mentored by senior and junior researchers in the field. During the final week of the program, students will showcase the results of their research through a written report and an oral presentation. The mentors will outline the expected outcomes at the beginning of the summer and will work closely with the students to ensure the successful completion of the final project. In addition to hands-on research, the REU will feature informative sessions run by the mentors and other researchers on career-development topics, such as how to do research in mathematics, career prospects in mathematics, preparing for graduate school, and writing graduate-school applications.

Applicants:

The students must be US citizens or US permanent residents (green card holders). The program is funded by an NSF grant and this is one of the grant requirements.
The REU is designed to be local, so students must live in the greater Los Angeles region and be able to commute to the UCLA campus.
The REU is only open to undergraduate students, students should not have already received their Bachelor's degree at the time of the REU.

Date and Location: In 2026, the program dates are August 3rd through September 11th. The expected workload is 40 hours per week for 6 weeks. The REU program will be conducted in a hybrid format, requiring participants to be physically present in Los Angeles and available during business hours (10 AM – 5 PM) to fully participate. Some weekdays will use a remote format with Zoom.

Funding: Each student will receive a $5000 stipend for 6 weeks of REU at the end of the program. No additional funding is available for lodging or transportation. Because the students are expected to be local, they must commute to campus.

Mentors: In 2026, the REU mentors are Joaquin Moraga (Assistant Professor, UCLA), Wern Yeong (Assistant Adjunct Professor, UCLA), Tomoki Oda (PhD student, UCLA) and Audric Lebovitz (PhD student UCLA).

Schedule: The tentative schedule is as follows:

Week 1: Introduction to Algebraic Geometry.
Week 2: Introduction to Toric Geometry and Singularities.
Week 3: Hypersurface singularities and log discrepancies.
Week 4: Complete intersection singularities and resolutions.
Week 5: Terminal and canonical 3-fold singularities.
Week 6: Present the results in both a written report and an oral presentation.

Application Materials Required:

Submit the following items online at this website to complete your application:

Curriculum Vitae
Unofficial College Transcript
Personal Statement: Explain your mathematical background, state whether you are a US Citizen or US resident, and your lodging plan in LA.
Reference letter (to be submitted online by the reference writers on this site )

And anything else requested in the program description.

Further Info:

http://www.math.ucla.edu

Department of Mathematics
UCLA
Los Angeles, CA 90095

University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Mathematics

program Description