Peter McMullen (University College London)
p.mcmullen@ucl.ac.uk
In general convexity, since its inception (essentially by Minkowski) the main thrust has been analytical. However, with the advent of linear programming, the combinatorics of convex polytopes began to assume an increased importance. In the last thirty years, a wide range of algebraic techniques has been brought to bear on the subject. This talk will centre on various connexions between the algebra and combinatorics of polytopes, concentrating particularly on the interests of the speaker and more recent work.