Rigidity and boundary phenomena for geometric variational problems

The proposed project aims to investigate theoretical properties of thin films and fluid interfaces, which are modelled as surfaces driven by surface tension, possibly in an enclosing container. This project is expected to generate new knowledge in the area of geometric partial differential equations, by utilising new techniques in geometric flows, and by establishing novel methods for boundary value problems. The developed techniques may have far-reaching applications in other areas of mathematical analysis, and the expected results would contribute greatly to the theory of surfaces governed by mean curvature, which arise in various real-world phenomena such as soap bubbles, black hole horizons and bushfire fronts.