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Summer Research Associate Program

at Topos Institute

About

The Summer Research Associate program hosted by Topos Institute offers an opportunity for early career researchers to engage in cutting-edge research under the mentorship of experts affiliated with the institute. Research areas explored in the program include mathematics, especially category theory and mathematical logic; programming language theory and software systems; and philosophy, especially ethics of science and technology.

Current RAs and Projects

Our next program will be in 2025! 2025 Summer RA Program Announcement

Here is the application form, due Jan 17, 2025: 2025 Summer RA Program Application Form

Previous RAs and Projects

2024

From the blog: Our summer research associates in 2024

• C.B. Aberlé: Polynomial functors for the semantics of dependent type theory
  • Mentor: David Spivak
• Keri D'Angelo: Wiring patterns for composition of Mealy machines
  • Mentor: Sophie Libkind
  • Blog post: Wiring diagrams for Mealy machines
• Owen Haaga: Agent-based modelling in AlgebraicJulia
  • Mentor: Kris Brown

2023

From the blog: Our summer research associates in 2023

• Harrison Grodin: Synthetic domain theory and polynomial functors in computer science
  • Mentor: Dana Scott and David Spivak
  • Blog post: Poly-morphic effect handlers
• Harper Hults: Statistical theories and probabilistic programming
  • Mentor: Evan Patterson
  • Blog post: Categorical statistics in Julia
• Samantha Jarvis: Constructing dynamic monoidal categories from reverse derivative categories
  • Mentor: David Spivak
  • Blog post: Building dynamic structures
• Stephen Mell: Graphical languages for distributive monoidal categories
  • Mentor: Kris Brown
• Luke Morris: Discrete exterior calculus on 3D semi-simplicial sets
  • Mentor: Evan Patterson
  • Software: CombinatorialSpaces.jl

2022

From the blog: Our summer research associates in 2022

• Angeline Aguinaldo: AI planning using categorical databases and rewriting
  • Mentor: Evan Patterson
  • Blog post: Using categorical logic for AI planning
• Anthony Agwu: Categorical semantics of untyped lambda calculus
  • Mentor: Dana Scott
  • Blog post: Scott's model of lambda calculus
• Alejandra Arciniegas: Technology ethics at Topos Institute
  • Mentor: Brendan Fong
  • Blog posts: Strategies for ethically oriented pursuit of research and technology; Project cards: a tool for research transparency
• Harrison Grodin: Programming language semantics using topology and domain theory
  • Mentor: Dana Scott
  • Blog post: Recursive Types via Domain Theory
• Michael Lambert: Double categories for knowledge representation and databases
  • Mentor: Evan Patterson
  • Blog post: Data operations are functorial semantics
• Joshua Meyers: Polynomial functors and computation
  • Mentor: David Spivak
  • Blog posts: Computation and category theory; Imagining bicomodules with type theory

2021

From the blog: Get to know our summer research associates

• Sophie Libkind: Mathematics and software for composing open dynamical systems
  • Mentor: Evan Patterson
  • Software: AlgebraicDynamics.jl
• Owen Lynch: Design and implementation of categorical databases ("struct acsets")
  • Mentor: Evan Patterson
  • Software: categorical databases ("acsets") in Catlab.jl
• David Jaz Myers: Categorical theory of dynamical systems
  • Mentor: David Spivak
  • See the book draft Categorical Systems Theory
• Nelson Niu: Polynomial functors
  • Mentor: David Spivak
  • See the Poly book coauthored with David Spivak