Dr Svala Sverrisdóttir

Background

I am a mathematician focusing on computational algebraic geometry. I received my Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley, where I was supervised by Bernd Sturmfels. My dissertation, Nonlinear Algebra in Quantum Chemistry, develops algebraic-geometric methods for quantum chemistry, with a particular focus on coupled cluster theory. Before moving to Berkeley, I completed a B.S. in Mathematics at the University of Iceland.

Research

My research lies at the interface of nonlinear algebra and applications. I develop and apply techniques from computational algebraic geometry, combinatorics, and representation theory to study problems arising in physics, quantum chemistry, and other sciences. Much of my work is motivated by the algebraic and geometric structures hidden within large computational problems. In particular, I am currently studying the geometry of eigenvalue problems and the structure of eigenvectors arising from families of matrices and Hamiltonians.

Selected Publications

• Eigenvector Varieties (with Sandra Di Rocco and Bernd Sturmfels), 24pp, 2026. (Submitted).
• Algebraic Varieties in Quantum Chemistry (with Fabian Faulstich and Bernd Sturmfels), 25pp, Foundations of Computational Mathematics 24 (2024) 1-32.
• Algebraic Varieties in Second Quantization, 25pp, SIAM Journal on Applied Algebra and Geometry 10 (2026) 490-517.
• Exploring Ground and Excited States via Single Reference Coupled-Cluster, Theory and Algebraic Geometry (with Fabian Faulstich), 39pp, Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation 20 (2024) 8517-8528.