Hello
I'm an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics & Applied Mathematics.
About me
My research interests are in low-dimensional topology and geometry, especially knots, links and their relationships with three and four-manifolds. This involves some Floer homology (particularly Heegaard Floer homology) and Khovanov homology. My work is also applicable to the natural sciences, and in particular to the study of enzymatic action in circular DNA. I am currently supported by a Jeffress Trust Award in Interdisciplinary Research.
Prior to arriving at VCU, I was a Krener Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, Davis from 2016-2019. For two of those years, I also held a joint appointment as a postdoc in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, collaborating with the Topological Molecular Biology lab.
From 2013-2016, I was an RTG Lovett Instructor of Mathematics at Rice University, in Houston, Texas. I worked in low-dimensional topology.
I received my Ph.D. in 2013 at The University of Texas, under the direction of Cameron Gordon.
Contact Information
email: moorea14 at vcu dot edu
office: Harris Hall 4149
office hours: By Zoom appointment
Postal mail:
Dr. Allison H. Moore
Department of Mathematics & Applied Mathematics
Virginia Commonwealth University
1015 Floyd Avenue | Box 842014
Richmond, VA 23284-2014
Links
- Virtual Low-Dimensional Topology is a new resource for the low-dimensional topology community to stay connected while we're isolating due to the coronavirus. The aim of this site is to organize virtual activities related to low-dimensional topology. We're keeping a calendar of events, launching a research seminar (Trends in Low-Dimensional Topology), hosting virtual office hours, and providing a repository of links to other online seminars and activities. Check it out!
- The Geometry and Topology Seminar at VCU
- KnotInfo: The Table of Knot Invariants -- a database of knot and link invariants that I assist in maintaining.
- The CompuTop.org Software Archive -- an archive of software and computational tools in topology. I am a fan.
Conferences I've co-organized
- Richmond Geometry Festival First edition in 2021, second edition in summer 2022.
- Special Session on Knots and Links in Low-Dimensional Topology at the AMS Sectional at the University of Virginia Previously: March 13-15, 2020 (postponed due to coronavirus); Now: March 11-13, 2022.
- AMS Special Session on Developments in Spatial Graphs at the Joint Meetings. Wednesday, January 6, 2021
- Topology in dimension 3.5: A conference in memory of Tim Cochran June 1-4, 2016
- AMS Sectional at Loyola University October 3-4, 2015. Group photo here!

Fun facts
1. My Erdos number is 4. Check yours here!
2. Through my advisor, Cameron Gordon, I can trace my mathematical lineage to Zeeman, Lefshetz, Jacobi, Copernicus, Regiomontanus, Gemistus Pletho, Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, and Sharaf al-Din al-Tusi (c. 1135~!) to name a few.
You can check your own mathematical lineage here.
3. This arXiv word cloud does a pretty good job of summarizing some of my interests.