Third Meru Combinatorics Conference 2025
28th – 30th May, 2025
Department of Mathematics
BITS Pilani, K K Birla, Goa Campus
This is the third of a series of annual conferences on combinatorics in India: the Meru Annual Combinatorics Conference. The series features a format that includes two in-depth minicourses on topics in combinatorics (broadly interpreted), alongside contributed talks and poster presentations.
Past Meru Combinatorics Conferences: First Meru Combinatorics Conference 2023, Second Meru Combinatorics Conference 2024.
Meru stands for the mountain in Indian mythology and was used as a metaphor for the triangle of binomial coefficients studied by classical Indian prosodists.
Dates: 28th to 30th May, 2025
Venue: Department of Mathematics, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa, India
Speakers
Minicourses
Murali K. Srinivasan
IIT Bombay
Two recent results on the projective geometry
Boolean algebra is the poset of subsets of a finite set and projective geometry is the poset of subspaces of a finite dimensional vector space over a finite field with q elements. We discuss q-analogs of two famous results (one bijective and one algebraic) on the Boolean algebra.
1. The bracketing algorithm gives an explicit symmetric chain decomposition (SCD) of the Boolean algebra. Griggs showed (using network flows) the existence of a SCD of the projective geometry. Greene and Kleitman asked for an explicit construction. Bjorner asked whether the projective geometry has a SBD (symmetric Boolean decomposition) (more general than an SCD).
The Greene-Kleitman problem was solved in a remarkable paper of Vogt and Voigt. We build on this paper and give an explicit SBD of the projective geometry. (Joint work with Jonathan Farley)
2. The Terwilliger algebra of the hypercube (= Hasse diagram of the Boolean algebra) is one of the basic objects in algebraic graph theory. It is a natural problem to find its q-analog. This was solved recently in two papers, the first by Ghosh and Srinivasan, and the second by Terwilliger.
If time permits, we shall discuss a possible connection between the two problems.
Nishad Kothari
IIT Madras
Perfect Matchings: theory and problems
The study of perfect matchings (and, more generally, of matchings) has played a central role not only in the development of graph theory, but also in the growth of various other areas of combinatorics such as polyhedral combinatorics, enumerative combinatorics, combinatorial optimization, etc. For most problems pertaining to perfect matchings, one may restrict attention to matching covered graphs — that is, those connected graphs wherein each edge participates in some perfect matching. Ergo, for more than half a century now, several researchers have invested in developing an extensive theory, and these efforts have culminated in the recently published book "Perfect Matchings: A Theory of Matching Covered Graphs" by Lucchesi and Murty. This minicourse is inspired by, and will be based on, their monograph.
The objectives of this minicouse are twofold: firstly, to introduce the participants to the salient features of the aforementioned theory — especially, the tight cut decomposition theory (including Lovász's Uniqueness Theorem) and the ear decomposition theory (that drew inspiration from the well-known Whitney's Ear Decomposition Theorem); and secondly, to demonstrate their interplay towards solving various problems — most of which were major open problems back in the day. Time permitting, we will also discuss open problems as well as their special cases that are already solved.
Contributed Talks
To be announced.
Posters
To be announced.
Committee
Organizing Committee
Convener: Dr. Yasmeen Akhtar, BITS Pilani - K K Birla Goa Campus
Co-conveners: Prof. Arvind Ayyer, IISc
Prof. Amritanshu Prasad, IMSc
Chief Patron:
Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao (VC, BITS Pilani)
Patron:
Prof. Suman Kundu (Director, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus)
Scientific Advisory Committee
Prof. Arvind Ayyer, IISc
Prof. N. Narayanan, IIT Madras
Prof. Amritanshu Prasad, IMSc
Prof. S. Sivaramakrishnan, IIT Bombay
Local Organizing Committee
Dr. Yasmeen Akhtar, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
Dr. Mukesh K. Nagar, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
Prof. Tarkeshwar Singh, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
Prof. Prasanna K. Nekkare, HOD Mathematics, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
Important Dates
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Registration & Abstract Submission Deadline: 15th February 2025
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Notification of Acceptance: To be announced soon.
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Last Date for Payment of Registration Fee: To be announced soon.
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Conference Dates: 28th May 2025
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Conference Dinner: 29th May 2025
Registration & Abstract Submission
"Click here to apply for participation in the conference."
Registration Fee:
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Regular: INR 5000
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Students and Postdoctoral Researcher: INR 2000
Registration Fee Payment: Instructions regarding the payment of registration fees will be shared shortly. Kindly revisit this page for updates.
Schedule
To be announced.
Venue
How to reach the venue?
Being a popular tourist destination and a haven for relaxation, Goa offers superb connectivity to major cities throughout the country. Nesting in the lap of verdant hills, overlooking the Zuari River, BITS, Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus is spread over an area of 180 acres. The location of campus is unique in the respect of scenic beauty and panoramic view of picturesque surrounding encompassing Zuari River, hillocks, waterways, forests and landscape.
Note: BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus is on the side of a bypass road to NH17B and regular buses will not go via Campus, so avoid taking a local/ city bus.
Accessing BITS Pilani Goa Campus is facilitated through diverse transportation options, guaranteeing convenience for both attendees and visitors.
Air Travel
Goa boasts two airports, namely Goa Dabolim International Airport (GOI), situated approximately 5 km away and Manohar International Airport (Mopa, GOX), which is roughly at a distance of 55 km from BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa campus, the venue for the symposium. Goa International Airport, being the closest, is extensively connected to major cities across India, providing a time-efficient air travel option. One can find regular flights to this tropical paradise from cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Chennai. The fastest way to reach Goa is often by taking a flight from Mumbai or Bengaluru, with the journey typically lasting around an hour. Air India is recognized as the national carrier. However, travelers can choose among various airlines, including SpiceJet, IndiGo, Air Asia, Akasa Air and Vistara. Upon arrival, pre-paid taxis are readily available to reach the Campus.
Pre-paid Taxi service at the Airports
Pre-paid Taxi counters are available at the airport arrival area.
Goa International Airport (Dabolim) to BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus: ~Rs. 500/-
Manohar International Airport (Mopa) to BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus: ~Rs. 3,000/-
One can also avail the ‘Goa Miles’ cab service via the Government certified transportation portal: https://www.goamiles.com.
Note: The rates may vary accordingly and can be higher if not pre-paid. The above rates and information are representative and approximate. Organizers are not responsible for any deviation in prices and information mentioned above.
Rail Travel
Those inclined towards rail travel can commute by train and arrive at Karmali Railway Station, located about 20 km, Madgaon railway station, which is 22 km away or Vasco railway station which is 10 km from BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus. These railway stations have established connections to major cities in the region.
Karmali Railway Station to BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus: ~Rs. 2,000/-
Madgaon Railway Station to BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus: ~Rs. 2,500/-
Note: The above rates and information are representative and approximate. Organizers are not responsible for any deviation in prices and information mentioned above.
Road Travel
The campus is easily reachable by road, with well-maintained highways and road networks linking it to neighboring towns and cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad etc.
Accommodation Details
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On-Campus Accommodation: We are in the process of arranging on-campus accommodation for student participants in the student hostels. Detailed information will be announced shortly.
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Nearby Hotels: Goa, a renowned tourist destination, offers a variety of accommodation options. You can click here to explore nearby choices and arrange your own accommodation.
