Zhufeng Gao is a PhD student in the Theoretical Physics group in the Department of Mathematics, King’s College London. He finished his BSc Mathematics at the University of Manchester in 2023, MASt in Mathematics at Cambridge Part III and MSc in Mathematical in 2024 and Theoretical Physics at University of Oxford in 2025. His interest research fields include String Theory, Quantum Field Theory, General Relativity and other quantum gravity theory.

Research interests

• Quantum Field Theory

• Quantum Gravity

Thesis abstract

This project will focus on the construction and analysis of non-Lorentzian field theories obtained from limits of Lorentzian ones. It will also construct their gravitational duals which, in some cases, can arise from a similar limit of supergravity solution, but may also require a new construction technique.

These theories will be analysed and the gauge gravity duality will be tested to see if it survives the limit.

This work will require that the familiar dictionary used in AdS/CFT correspondence is developed for NewtonCartan geometries including an appropriate analysis of the allowed boundary conditions.

PhD supervision

First supervisor: Prof Neil Lambert