Colloquium Speaker: Anna Seigal, Harvard University Title: Factorizations for data analysis Abstract: We can find structure in data by factoring it into building blocks, which should be interpretable for the context at hand. A classical example is principal component analysis (PCA), which uses the eigendecomposition of the covariance matrix to find axes of variation in a dataset. Starting from […]
Conference Reports Speaker: Hugo Cui, Harvard CMSA Title: Report on the Perimeter Institute Theory+AI Workshop Abstract: I will give a survey and brief summary of some of the talks given at the Theory+AI Workshop: Theoretical Physics for AI event organized by Perimeter Institute in April, on approaches to machine learning theory inspired from physics. Link : https://events.perimeterinstitute.ca/event/993/
Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Claudia Rella (IHES) Title: Resurgence, number theory, and quantum mirror curves Abstract: Resurgence provides a powerful toolbox to access the non-perturbative sectors hidden within the divergent asymptotic series of quantum theories. Under some special assumptions, the non-perturbative data extracted via resurgent methods possess intrinsic number-theoretic properties that are deeply […]
Member Seminar Speaker: Samy Jelassi, CMSA Title: Echo Chamber: RL Post-training Amplifies Behaviors Learned in Pretraining Abstract: Reinforcement Learning has become a crucial step in training state-of-the-art language models such as DeepSeek-R1 for solving mathematical problems. In this talk, I will first review the mechanisms of Reinforcement Learning fine-tuning. Then, I will present a systematic end-to-end […]
Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Joaquin Liniado, Instituto de Física La Plata Title: Higher Gauge Theory and Integrability Abstract: Integrable field theories are remarkable for possessing an infinite number of conserved quantities, which often allow for their exact solvability. In two dimensions, this structure is elegantly captured by the existence of a Lax […]
Summer School in Total Positivity and Quantum Field Theory Dates: June 2–4, 2025 Location: CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge MA In the past decade, there has been a great deal of interest and progress in the study of algebro-combinatorial and geometric structures appearing across diverse areas of physics, from particle physics to cosmology. As these […]
Workshop on Quantum Field Theory and Topological Phases via Homotopy Theory and Operator Algebras Dates: June 30 - July 11, 2025 Location: CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge MA and Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, Bonn, Germany This event is a twinned workshop at the CMSA (Harvard) and the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics (Bonn). Lectures will alternate […]
Joint BHI/CMSA Foundation Seminar Location: BHI seminar room Speaker: Noa Zilberman (Princeton University) Title: The semiclassical energy outflux emerging from a collapsing shell Abstract: When a compact object collapses to form a black hole, quantum field theory predicts the emission of an energy outflux to future null infinity, which later relaxes to Hawking radiation. Within […]
Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar Speaker: Saman Habibi Esfahani, Harvard CMSA Title: Fukaya category and gauge theory Abstract: After setting up some background, I will discuss the Fukaya $A_\ infty$-category and several instances where it appears in gauge theory, such as in the study of flat connections on Riemann surfaces, holomorphic sections of some hyperkähler […]
Fall CMSA Welcome Event Date: September 3, 2025 Time: 4:00 pm Location: CMSA Common Room, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge MA All CMSA and Math affiliates are invited.
Math and Machine Learning Reunion Workshop Dates: September 8–10, 2025 Location: Harvard CMSA, Room G10, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge MA Machine learning and AI are increasingly important tools in all fields of research. In the fall of 2024, the CMSA Mathematics and Machine Learning Program hosted 70 mathematicians and machine learning experts, ranging from beginners to […]
Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar Speaker: Lorenzo Riva Title: Higher categories of cobordisms Abstract: I will give a brief introduction to topological field theories from a higher categorical perspective. After saying a few things about higher categories, I will define a family of n-categories of bordisms and talk about their universal properties. I will try […]