Special Postdoctoral Researcher, Division of Fundamental Mathematical Science, RIKEN Center for Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences (iTHEMS)

Chien-Yu Chou

Ph.D. in Physics, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies)

Research Fields: Theoretical Physics; Quantum Field Theory; Quantum Gravity; Lattice Gauge Theory; Numerical Methods
Appointment History: 2026/04/01 - Special Postdoctoral Researcher, Division of Fundamental Mathematical Science, RIKEN Center for Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences (iTHEMS)

Self-introduction

I am a theoretical physicist working on computational approaches to nonperturbative quantum field theory and quantum gravity. My research focuses on systems with a sign problem, where conventional Monte Carlo methods fail.

I am particularly interested in understanding how dominant configurations emerge in complexified path integrals, especially in the presence of multiple competing saddle points. To address this, I develop and apply methods based on the Lefschetz thimble approach.

My recent work includes numerical studies of matrix models and quantum cosmology, as well as developments of simulation techniques for handling complex actions.