Transitions between equilibria in dynamical systems subjected to small random perturbations arise in diverse fields such as physics, engineering, population dynamics, economics, and neural network theory. The theory of large deviations offers tools to analyse these phenomena. An important concept in this theory is the controllability of the associated deterministic (ordinary or partial) differential equation obtained by replacing the noise with a deterministic control, representing an external force driving the system. However, large deviations theory for stochastic partial differential equations under geometric constraints remains largely unexplored, and the controllability of the corresponding deterministic PDEs is poorly understood. In this talk, we will present results from a recent paper [https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.08990], which investigates the heat flow from the circle to the 2D sphere - a setting where geometric constraints play a crucial role. This talk is meant to initiate a series of meetings devoted to large deviations theory for equations with geometric constraints. See the link and password below) https://unsw.zoom.us/j/89451354391?from=addon Meeting ID: 89451354391 Password: 114526