Poly @ Work 2024
Polynomial functors are a prime example of mathematics’ startling capacity to yield deep formal insights and real-world applications from the simplest ingredients. The category of polynomial functors (Poly) offers an abundance of elegant theory linked with computational design patterns that span the entire abstraction hierarchy. It is a rich playground in which ideas from different disciplines naturally collide.
This workshop brought together students, researchers, and practitioners from around the world to learn, share, and collaborate on the theory and applications of polynomial functors.
The workshop was organized by Sophie Libkind, Shaowei Lin, Nate Osgood, and David Spivak.
At the end of February, we hosted a 2 week workshop on polynomial functors at the Topos Institute, which brought together students, researchers, and practitioners from around the world. Together we learned about polynomial functors and put them to work on applications including:
- neuroscience
- agent-based modeling
- epidemiology
- predictive coding
- type theory
- machine learning
On the event website, you can read more about the workshop, find a series of YouTube lectures given by David Spivak as part of the workshop, and peruse research artifacts created by the participants.
