Circles

The Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing is pleased to partner with Jane Street in hosting Circles, the Simons Institute – Jane Street Small Group Collaborations.

What: This initiative supports groups of three to six researchers for four weeklong visits spread over two years, to collaborate intensely on an ambitious research project. We aim to promote projects that can potentially lead to substantial advances in the field, rather than promoting "business as usual." While we do support activities in core theoretical computer science, we are also interested in expanding the field, and therefore welcome interdisciplinary proposals. 

When and where: One week at the Simons Institute at UC Berkeley (anticipated in early December) and one week at Jane Street in New York (anticipated during the summer months), each year for two years. This initiative will cover travel and lodging, and provide office space during these weeks. 

Who: The group should include at least one person working in theoretical computer science, and should include at least two sets of people who have not previously worked together. We encourage proposals from early-career researchers. 

We are particularly excited to receive proposals that tie into our programming each year, but we hope to accept proposals across a broad range of areas. It may be worth looking at our semester programs to get an idea of the kinds of topics we support.

We review applications on a rolling basis, and encourage you to apply as soon as possible. For consideration for summer placement at the Jane Street New York office, your application would need to be submitted by April 1 of the same year, and for fall placement at the Simons Institute, by October 1.  If you have a later date for placement in mind, you should still apply as soon as possible, and reference your proposed visit timing in your application. 

To apply, please submit a proposal that includes:

1. Project title;
2. List of committed participants and their affiliations, as well as a short CV for each ;
3. Scientific agenda of the collaboration, explaining its impact and timeliness, and how it fits with the mission of the Simons Institute (limit: 2 pages);
4. Past collaborations and synergies among the participants, indicating why the group would benefit from the program (limit: 1 page).

Proposals may be submitted here.

For questions, please contact:
Amy Ambrose 
Director of Operations 
Senior Director of Development
amyambrose@berkeley.edu
+1 (510) 944-6674