Institute for Advanced Study

Today, the Institute for Advanced Study officially begins its 2025–26 academic year, bringing together scholars from around the globe to pursue a range of individual and collaborative projects. The 259 visiting scholars, each selected by the Institute’s permanent Faculty based on the preeminence and potential of their work, represent 39 nations and more than 108 institutions. Read more about this year’s class: https://lnkd.in/e_hxuJAN

With the new academic year just around the corner, the Institute for Advanced Study reflects on a vibrant summer marked by engaging programs and active scholarly exchange. The campus has served as a hub for a range of thought-provoking gatherings, while outreach efforts have extended the Institute's mission far beyond its grounds. Discover more about these impactful summer initiatives through the links below and experience the dynamic spirit of inquiry at IAS. ☀️ The annual WAM program for educators, students, and researchers explored "Convexity and Combinatorics in Algebraic Geometry": https://lnkd.in/eruEX6VA ☀️ The Park City Mathematics Institute program delved into "Extremal and Probabilistic Combinatorics": https://lnkd.in/ei7tFGre ☀️ Participants at the Prospects in Theoretical Physics program focused on gravitational wave physics and astrophysics: https://lnkd.in/ednm5EAq

Barbara Paca, O.B.E., Ph.D., Visitor (1996–97) in the School of Historical Studies and President of the Association of Members of the Institute for Advanced Study (AMIAS) Board of Trustees, is the curator of this new exhibition at Dublin Castle. The exhibition, which will open later this month, explores Irish artistic genius and its spread across the world, with a deep dive into the Caribbean and the aftermath of the large-scale 17th-century migration to the West Indies. 

🌎 To responsibly advance #AI— the full stack from minerals to GPUs—we need to break down disciplinary and sectoral silos. In June, the Science, Technology, and Social Values Lab at the Institute for Advanced Study brought together researchers from across disciplines, sectors, and geographies for a workshop on The Geopolitics of Critical Minerals and the AI Supply Chain. Today, we’re pleased to share the Summary Report from that workshop. 📑 The report highlights how AI’s rapid growth is reshaping demand for critical minerals, energy, water, land, and labor—and why interdisciplinary collaboration is essential for understanding these global dynamics. 👉 Read the Summary Report here: https://lnkd.in/eCkyAH53 AI’s rapid growth is driving what some call the "next critical minerals supercycle"—with demand for cobalt, lithium, and other resources reshaping mining, trade, and geopolitics. But the findings go further. Minerals are only part of the story—AI also strains water access, energy systems, and labor conditions. Producer countries in the Global South are not passive suppliers but active decision-makers with agency over governance and value. Current AI debates—focused narrowly on chips and algorithms—risk overlooking these broader social, political, and ecological realities. Bridging technology with mining, climate, energy, social science, and human rights is essential to understand—and govern—the true impacts of AI. Our conclusion: AI researchers in industry, academia, and civil society must consider the full AI stack. Participants agreed that international, multisectoral collaboration between academia and civil society is essential for AI development that serves communities. Such efforts can generate grounded insights, challenge dominant narratives, and ultimately support more innovative and contextually relevant policy interventions. This is the research we turn to next. 📅 Rewatch our opening panel discussion RARE/EARTH: The Geopolitics of Critical Minerals and the AI Supply Chain here: https://lnkd.in/efgwKk9T

Join the Institute for Advanced Study, one of the world’s leading centers for foundational research, for the 2026–27 academic year. Accepted scholars, drawn from around the world, will be able to pursue their own research within one of the four IAS Schools: Historical Studies, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social Science. Funding is available. 🔗 More: https://lnkd.in/d-MCbsiz

How might quantum mechanics and gravity intersect? How does a global academic community enrich research across languages and cultures? How can we tap the power of complementary knowledge between mathematics and physics? Reflect on these compelling questions and much more besides in the latest episodes of “Institute Instances,” a series of video snapshots of scholars, administrators, and visitors to the Institute for Advanced Study discussing their work at IAS. 🎥 Watch here: https://lnkd.in/e3A3XrQj  

🏆 The Institute for Advanced Study's School of Mathematics is currently accepting nominations for the 2025 Salem Prize, which, since 1968, has been awarded to young mathematicians judged to have completed outstanding work on harmonic analysis and related topics. The prize is named for Raphaël Salem (1898–1963), a Greek mathematician notable for his deep study of the links between Fourier series and number theory and for pioneering applications of probabilistic methods to these fields. More information on the prize and the nomination process can be found here: https://lnkd.in/evU2TTuB

How do you study the first state of matter? What does it mean to “hang out” as an anthropologist? What delights can IAS scholars experience in the dining hall? Delve into these intriguing questions and much more in the latest episodes of “Institute Instances,” a series of video snapshots of scholars, administrators, and visitors to the Institute for Advanced Study discussing their work at IAS. 🎥 Watch here: https://lnkd.in/e3A3XrQj 

Leading experts from the Institute for Advanced Study, Max Planck Institute for Physics, and National Taiwan University have established the Max Planck-IAS-NTU Center (MPC) for Particle Physics, Cosmology, and Geometry—a collaborative research initiative aimed at better understanding the universe at all scales. The Center will enable collaborative research across institutional and disciplinary boundaries, and foster synergies that span from novel mathematical frameworks relevant to quantum field theory to interactions of elementary particles and to the physics of the early universe. Funding from IAS for this initiative was made possible by the Jonathan M. Nelson Center for Collaborative Research, which is dedicated to advancing foundational knowledge and facilitating the conditions for discovery. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ezhgTuUu

On May 21, a small team led by 程Cheng思浩Sihao, Martin A. and Helen Chooljian Member in the Institute for Advanced Study's School of Natural Sciences, announced the discovery of an extraordinary trans-Neptunian object (TNO) at the edge of our solar system. The TNO is potentially large enough to qualify as a dwarf planet, the same category as the much more well-known Pluto. The finding has significant implications for our understanding of the Kuiper Belt and hypotheses that surround the existence of a Planet Nine. Since the announcement, the news has been featured by numerous media outlets, including Reuters, New Scientist, The New York Times, CBS, and many more. Read more about the discovery here: https://lnkd.in/gXSkaKnA See a roundup of the media coverage here: https://lnkd.in/gitcuQgE