# nLab David Micahel Roberts

I am currently a Research Associate (that is, a postdoc) at the Institute for Geometry and its Applications in the School of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Adelaide.

I work on bundle gerbes, 2-bundles, geometric stacks and internal groupoids and categories, and category theory more generally with a side interest in foundations. I have a particular interest in constructing examples in (low-dimensional) higher geometry.

I was a Research Associate (i.e. a postdoc) at the University of Adelaide from October 2013 to April 2015. For the period July-2017 to February 2018 I was a Lecturer in the School of Mathematical Sciences.

You may also find me on: MathSciNet|Google Scholar|MathOverflow|arXiv|ORCiD|Publons|theHigherGeometer

If you need it, here is my email: droberts.(fifth and largest-known Fermat prime)@gmail.[etc]

## Writing

### Preprints/Notes

• The construction of formal anafunctors (2018), arXiv:1808.04552 doi:10.25909/5b6cfd1a73e55 (Note that this was cited in Internal Categories, Anafunctors and Localisations with the title Strict 2-sites, J-spans and Localisations, and some paper containing these notes may yet have that title)

• Extending Whitney’s extension theorem, arXiv:1801.04126. Joint with Alexander Schmeding.

• Class forcing and topos theory (2018) notes from my 2015 talk at IHES, doi:10.4225/55/5b2252e3092af

### In preparation

• Two rational maps that generate $\pi_1^s$ (working title)

• Homogeneous 2-bundles

• From code loops to 2-groups

• String structures and string connections on homogeneous spaces, joint with Raymond Vozzo

### Other

• What do mathematicians think about their journals? Peer review quality tops list of stated issues, LSE Impact Blog, June 22 2016 Blog post (joint with Cameron Neylon and Mark C. Wilson)

• Review of Mathematics without apologies: Portrait of a problematic vocation by Michael Harris. (publisher’s page) Appears in: Gazette of the Australian Mathematical Society, Vol. 43 (2016) No. 2 (journal pdf)

• Contribution to The “Bounded Gaps between Primes” Polymath Project: A Retrospective Analysis, Newsletter of the European Mathematical Society, No. 94, December 2014. (page 19 of this pdf)

• Review of Lectures on real analysis by Finnur Larusson, Australian Mathematical Society Lecture Series, No. 21. (publisher’s page) Appears in: Gazette of the Australian Mathematical Society, Vol. 41 (2014) No. 5 (journal pdf)

## Selected Talks

The complete list is here.

## Teaching

See here for a list of courses I have taught.

My contributions to the nLab are released under a CC0 license. This is essentially public domain, but works in jurisdictions where such matters are difficult. Normal academic standards do apply, so attribution of ideas where they are clearly mine would be nice.

category: people