Emilio Pierro

Finite simple quotients of Mapping Class Groups

The Mapping Class Group of a surface of genus g > 2, MCG(S_g), is an important object of interest in Geometric Group Theory. In this talk we discuss some new techniques in determining which finite simple groups can and cannot occur as their finite simple quotients. These techniques can also be applied to other families of finitely presented groups, such as the automorphism groups of free groups. This is joint work with Dawid Kielak.