Robert van den Hoogen
I completed my undergraduate degree at Saint Mary's University, and then on to Dalhousie University where I graduated with a Ph.D. in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in 1995. From September of 1995 to August of 2009, I was a professor of mathematics in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at St. F.X.. From August 2009 to July 2015, I was the Dean of Science at St. F.X.. Since September 2016, I am back in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at St. F.X. doing research, teaching and other duties.
Research Interests:
My research involves the investigation into building and analyzing mathematical models of the universe; otherwise known as Mathematical Cosmology. Cosmology is the study of the large scale structure of the universe and how it evolves. In the past my research studied cosmological models by investigating systems of differential equations. Typical questions that can be answered using these techniques include “Can I find an alternative mathematical explanation for the effects attributed to Dark Energy”. More recently, my research focus has evolved to include the study of alternative theories of gravity, in particular tele-parallel theories of gravity. I am also working on the averaging problem in General Relativity by employing an equivalence between General Relativity and tele-parallel gravity. A typical question that one would like to answer might be: "Is the averaged evolution of the lumpy (inhomogeneous) universe the same as the evolution of the averaged or smooth (homogeneous) universe?" The answer is certainly not obvious.
Areas of Research:
Mathematical cosmology and general relativity
