Jason Crann, a PhD student in mathematics, has a new take on 1 + 1 = 2. He is one of the first Carleton students to benefit from a new Cotutelle agreement that will allow him to study and research at two universities and, upon graduation, obtain two diplomas recognizing his PhD degree.
Crann left January 4 for a year to study and research at L’Université de Lille 1: Sciences et Technologies. There, he will work with his Carleton adviser Matthias Neufang, who will be taking up a double appointment with the School of Mathematics and Statistics at Carleton and its counterpart at Lille.
He will be jointly supervised by Neufang’s close collaborator Prof. Mostafa Mbekhta who is a renowned expert in operator theory.
Crann says he is excited about this new international collaboration. “Further to all of the obvious benefits, it will help me establish my career as a mathematician. In the future, I would like to be a professor and this kind of experience will be a huge asset.”
He is also delighted that he will continue to work with his adviser while in France. “I really enjoyed working with Matthias during my master’s and planned on working with him during my PhD so, when I found out about his arrangement with Lille, I asked him if I could come along. He said “yes” as the Cotutelle agreement would now make this possible.”
Crann shares that he first came to Carleton to study under Neufang as he is an expert in his field. Both are researching abstract harmonic analysis and its applications to quantum information theory. “Without getting into the details, it’s a high-level form of math that could significantly change the way we view quantum dynamics,” says Crann.
Crann notes that his wife Carley, who is also a Carleton grad student in earth sciences, will accompany him for the year while pursuing her own research opportunities.
Langis Roy, associate dean (Planning) with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs (FGPA), is also excited about the new Cotutelle policy. He points out: “This will allow our doctoral students to work with brilliant researchers and resources at different universities around the world, as well as get exposure to a whole new cultural experience. Reaching out globally is one of the goals of our strategic plan and these agreements are a wonderful way to make this happen.”
Any starting, full-time PhD student at Carleton is eligible for a cotutelle mode of study, provided their supervisor has an established research collaboration with an international university that offers cotutelles. Other details are available in the Cotutelle policy found HERE.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012 in Grad Student Research, Grad Student Services, News
Share: Twitter, Facebook
