Geometric structures in low dimensions

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Higher Teichmüller theory is the study of higher dimensional geometric structures arising from the action of a discrete action of a group of isometries of the hyperbolic plane. It is a beautifully developing area of research, enriched by contributions from the theory of Higgs bundles, maximal representations, dynamics, etc. Between classical two-dimensional hyperbolic geometry and this higher dimensional theory, a wealth of interesting and somewhat concrete examples abound.Over the past five years, my research focused on geometric structures emerging from hyperbolic structures on surfaces, in dimensions three and four. Specifically, I have examined proper group actions on affine Lorentzian three-space and its conformal compactification, as well as the bidisk. Geometric structures in dimensions three and four are important to study for two reasons. First, lower-dimensional examples provide valuable insights for higher dimensional cases, especially in higher Teichmüller theory. Second, and in my view this is just as important, they readily lend themselves to experimentation and visualisation projects, which in turn offer an entry point into research for younger people, especially undergraduate and Master's students.In lower dimensions, there are ``happy accidents'' where a diversity of structures coincide, allowing observations and questions to be reformulated in a different language. Affine Lorentzian ideas, to which I have contributed, could be generalized to a wider context. For example, interesting new constructions may result from deforming discrete groups of isometries of the hyperbolic plane in higher dimensional Lie groups.Therefore, my program for the next five years will be pursued under the theme of deforming such groups in isometry groups of certain spaces, and studying the geometric structures that arise. I will place a particular emphasis on visualisation and computer experimentation, enabling a heavy component in undergraduate research.