The Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing is a major international venue for collaborative research in theoretical computer science and related fields. The Institute is housed in Calvin Lab, a dedicated building on the UC Berkeley campus, and provides a vibrant and welcoming environment for visiting researchers. In each academic semester, the activities of the Institute are largely focused on specific research programs, each of which attracts around sixty long-term participants ranging from senior scientists to graduate students. The Institute, created in 2012 through a grant from the Simons Foundation, opened its doors in Fall 2013.
In 2023-24, the Institute will host five research programs on the following topics:
- In Summer 2023, "Analysis and TCS: New Frontiers"
- In Fall 2023, "Data Structures and Optimization for Fast Algorithms" and "Logic and Algorithms in Database Theory and AI"
- In Spring 2024, "Error-Correcting Codes: Theory and Practice" and "Quantum Algorithms, Complexity and Fault-tolerance"
Descriptions of these programs and other information about the Institute can be found at simons.berkeley.edu.
The Institute invites applications for programmatic research fellowships for the Summer 2023, Fall 2023, and Spring 2024 semesters. Programmatic research fellowships are intended for exceptional young scientists (within at most five years of the award of their PhD at the start of academic year 2023-24). Applicants who already hold junior faculty or postdoctoral positions are welcome to apply. In particular, applicants who hold, or expect to hold, postdoctoral appointments at other institutions are encouraged to apply to spend one semester as a Simons Institute research fellow, subject to the approval of the postdoctoral institution. The Institute expects to award about eight fellowships for each program in 2023-24, with one or two appointments for a full academic year. In each semester of residence, each Fellow will normally participate in one of the ongoing programs at the Institute.
- The Center for Mathematical Modeling in Santiago, Chile
- The Collaboration on the Theoretical Foundations of Deep Learning (Berkeley, Stanford, MIT, UCI, UCSD, TTIC, EPFL, Hebrew)
- The Foundations of Data Science Institute (Berkeley, MIT, Boston, Bryn Mawr, Harvard, Howard, Northeastern)
- The Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning (UT Austin, University of Washington, WSU)
- The Institute for Emerging CORE Methods in Data Science (UCLA, UCSD, U Penn, UT Austin)
- The Max Planck Institute for Informatics in Saarbrücken, Germany
- The Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago
- The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel
Applicants interested in such a joint fellowship should submit both a Simons Institute fellow application and an application at the partner institution. For questions about positions at a partner institution, please contact that institution directly.
Salaries and benefits are competitive, and assistance with visas and housing will be provided. The Institute particularly encourages applications from women and minority candidates.
The call for 2023–24 fellowships is open. To apply, please complete the application form no later than December 15, 2022.
Application Instructions
Each applicant should prepare the following documents in a single PDF file:
- Cover letter, briefly describing your interest in the Institute and its programs
- Curriculum vitae, including a full list of publications
- Research statement
In addition, applicants must submit the names and email addresses of three recommenders. When an applicant submits this form, each recommender will receive an automatically generated request for a letter. Applicants may wish to check with their recommenders before the deadline that they have submitted their letters; it is ultimately the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the letters are submitted.
The deadline for receipt of complete application materials (except letters) is December 15; late applications will not be considered. The deadline for receipt of recommendation letters is December 31. For questions, please contact our Visitor Services Team at simonsvisitorservices [at] berkeley.edu.
