Jonathan M. Nelson Center for Collaborative Research

The al-Khanji Archive, documenting the influential role of the Syrian-Egyptian al-Khanji family in the Arabic manuscript trade and publishing in the early 20th century, is a unique resource for manuscript studies, print history, and intellectual networks. Acquired by the American University in Cairo through collaboration with five North American institutions, the archive contains thousands of documents, including letters, correspondence with prominent scholars, and business records detailing the family’s pivotal involvement in the translocation of Arabic manuscripts to major libraries in Europe and North America. This archive offers unprecedented insights into manuscript provenance, the publishing landscape, and the intellectual exchange between the Arab world and the West during this period.

The project will involve a series of activities, starting with a one-week workshop in Cairo in January 2025 to examine and digitize prioritized portions of the archive. Over the next year, an inventory of Khanji’s publications will be prepared, alongside an analysis of his editorial practices, culminating in a scholarly volume to be published by the American University in Cairo Press. Additionally, the project will create a digital portal to support future research, including a crowdsourced database of Khanji manuscripts. Collaborative conferences and workshops will engage scholars in advancing the study of this rich archive, contributing to a deeper understanding of the cultural and intellectual history of the Arab world in the early 20th century.

Principal Investigator:

^{Garrett Davidson, College of Charleston
Rana Mikati, College of Charleston
Sabine Schmidtke, School of Historical Studies}

This two-day workshop aims to explore the cognitive foundations of higher-level mathematics. Jointly supported by Princeton University and IAS, the event will involve 10–15 participants from diverse fields such as mathematics, philosophy, psychology, and education. The focus will be on understanding the psychological aspects of mathematical judgment, explanation, and concept development. Specific topics will include what makes a proof satisfying, how mathematical explanations relate to proofs, and what attributes make a mathematical concept valuable or useful. The workshop seeks to bridge these cognitive aspects with mathematical practice, offering deeper insights into how human cognition influences mathematical reasoning.

These issues are especially relevant as AI advances in automated reasoning for mathematical research. While machine-generated proofs can be produced, many are incomprehensible to humans. This workshop aims to address how to select proofs that best support human intuition and spark interdisciplinary discussions. The workshop format will focus on open-ended dialogue rather than structured talks, serving as a first step toward building a scholarly community dedicated to the cognitive science of mathematical understanding.

Principal Investigators:

^{Tania Lombrozo, Princeton University
Akshay Venkatesh, Robert & Luisa Fernholz Professor, School of Mathematics}

Computational methods are essential for addressing complex problems in astrophysics, but the diversity of high-performance computing systems and the complexity of astrophysical modeling pose significant challenges in research software development. This interdisciplinary task requires expertise in physics, applied mathematics, and computer science. Recently, the team secured federal funding over three years for the development of advanced astrophysical research software, with a portion dedicated to supporting postdoctoral researchers at IAS. Additionally, the team has been granted over 3 million node hours on exascale supercomputers.

The initiative offers non-stipendiary appointments at IAS for postdocs from collaborating institutions to facilitate frequent interactions. The team also proposes an annual research meeting at IAS, open to the IAS community, to discuss computational astrophysics and scientific software development. A one-week collaborative workshop will be held each year, and a small summer school on computational astrophysics for graduate students will be explored as a potential event at IAS.

Principal Investigator:

^{James Stone, School of Natural Sciences}

This collaborative research initiative examines artificial intelligence through three critical and interconnected lenses: applications, policy, and geopolitics. It brings together experts from the social sciences, sciences, and humanities; policymaking and government; and civil society and industry to bridge fragmentation in the AI research ecosystem and to examine the material foundations and theoretical frontiers presented by the expansion of AI development. Through research workshops, working groups, and cross-school seminars, the initiative will develop frameworks for understanding the societal impact of AI for democracy through the exploration of its intersection with quantum computing, its reliance on critical minerals, and its implications for policy, governance, and geopolitical competition.

The collaborations will result in a range of outputs, including research publications, policy recommendations, and strategic agendas that bridge traditional disciplinary and sectoral divides, challenge existing power dynamics in AI development, and propose new methodologies for understanding and governing global AI systems. Key activities include the AI Policy and Governance Working Group's research development and policy research, a quantum science and society seminar series coinciding with the UN's International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, and a research workshop examining critical mineral supply chains. This integrated approach aims to establish new paradigms for understanding and governing AI systems that account for their material and political prerequisites, their technological possibilities and limits, and their social and economic power.

Principal Investigator:

^{Alondra Nelson, Harold F. Linder Professor, School of Social Science}

This project establishes a research group focused on the recent history of mathematics. Mathematics has undergone multiple transformations in its nature, production, validation, and dissemination over the course of the 20th and 21st century. These transformations reflect not only the internal dynamics of the field, but also the evolution of institutions, technologies, and societies. We will therefore take a broad approach in examining those changes, bringing together mathematicians, philosophers, and historians to integrate cultural, intellectual, and social histories.

This initiative continues a tradition of engagement between mathematics and the humanistic disciplines at the Institute for Advanced Study, exemplified by Otto Neugebauer, André Weil, Hermann Weyl, and many others. The project will also engage with Princeton University’s strong community of historians of science and mathematics, rendering it well-positioned to become a global leader in the history of modern mathematics.

The project will commence with a pilot workshop in the spring of 2026 to raise awareness and inform future decisions.

Principal Investigators:

^{Helmut Hofer, Hermann Weyl Professor, School of Mathematics
Myles Jackson, Albers-Schönberg Professor in the History of Science, School of Historical Studies
Akshay Venkatesh, Robert & Luisa Fernholz Professor, School of Mathematics}

The IAS Gravitational Wave (GW) collaboration, founded in 2018, developed the first independent pipeline to analyze data from the LIGO observatory, from raw strain data to astrophysical interpretation. The group's work has been influential, with several innovations adopted by the broader scientific community, including the LIGO scientific collaboration. Despite many Members moving to other institutions, the collaboration continues to be recognized as the "IAS group." It has contributed over 20 publications, accumulated more than 1,500 citations, and earned numerous awards, including two Sloan fellowships and multiple NSF and BSF grants. Ongoing contributions from IAS include computational resources and continued support for the collaboration’s members, which helps attract new talent.

This project aims to elevate the IAS GW collaboration by fostering broader interactions and exploring new topics in gravitational wave astronomy. As the group has expanded and its researchers have become more geographically dispersed, the virtual center will provide tools to enhance collaboration and generate new transformative ideas. The center will also broaden its scope to include emerging areas, such as pulsar timing arrays and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission. Activities will include regular online talks and hackathons, focused collaboration support for small projects, an annual in-person meeting, and joint postdoctoral positions between IAS and partner institutions like University of California, Santa Barbara and the Weizmann Institute. These initiatives will strengthen connections within the gravitational wave community and encourage future collaborations with leading groups at Johns Hopkins University and the Center for Computational Astrophysics in New York.

Principal Investigators:

^{Tejaswi Venumadhav Nerella, University of California Santa Barbara
Hang Yu, Montana State University
Barak Zackay, Weizmann Institute of Science
Matias Zaldarriaga, Richard Black Professor, School of Natural Sciences}

The project, “Interactions of Topology and Geometry,” aims to advance research on fundamental open questions at the intersection of these two mathematical fields. The project brings together a group of established collaborators with a strong track record in topology and geometry, focusing on conjectures and problems that link geometric constraints with topological properties. Key areas of investigation include the sectional and Ricci curvature, singularities of nonlinear harmonic and holomorphic maps, and extensions of classical theorems in metric geometry. The research efforts will contribute both to theoretical advancements and to the development of educational resources for graduate students.

Specific project activities include work with Elia Bruè (Università Bocconi) and Daniele Semola, which explores the relationship between nonnegative sectional and Ricci curvature and fundamental group structure. Collaboration with Daniele Valtorta (Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca) focuses on understanding the dimension of singular sets in nonlinear harmonic and holomorphic maps, which play a crucial role in defining moduli spaces and their topological implications. Joint efforts with Bennett Chow (University of California, San Diego) and Wenshuai Jiang (Zhejiang University) will produce books on Ricci curvature and nonlinear harmonic maps, serving as foundational texts for graduate students. Additionally, work with Jeffrey D. Streets (University of California, Irvine) and Ruobing Zhang (University of Wisconsin–Madison) will seek to extend known rigidities in bounded curvature to the context of torsion. Through these collaborations, the project aims to make significant contributions to the mathematical understanding of topology and geometry.

Principal Investigator:

^{Aaron Naber, School of Mathematics}

Since 2021, IAS Faculty and Staff have established strong relationships with various Lunaape (Lenape or Delaware) Nations, working alongside Princeton University on a series of annual events aimed at preserving and revitalizing Lunaape language and history. These include the Munsee Language and History Symposium, the Munsee Story Evening, the Lunaape Language Camp, and the recent inaugural Unami Symposium. Collaborations have expanded through the Mellon Foundation-funded Hidden Stories project, focusing on research involving museums holding Native American artifacts across the U.S., Germany, and the U.K. Building on these initiatives, Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Professor in the School of Historical Studies, is launching a three-year project, “Knowledge on Lunaape Land,” to deepen and integrate Indigenous knowledge with academic research in fields beyond historical studies, including social sciences and natural sciences. 

This project acknowledges the evolving place of Indigenous studies within academia, a field that bridges multiple disciplines but often faces challenges in securing research-oriented positions, especially in the sciences. At IAS, the focus will be on facilitating pure research that respects and centers traditional Indigenous knowledge. The initiative will see Lunaape researchers collaborating with academic specialists, featuring in-residence researchers from Munsee- and Unami-speaking Nations. The project aims to create sustainable research models that extend beyond curriculum-based collaborations, with a final workshop to shape future funding requests for long-term impact and growth.

Principal Investigator:

^{Suzanne Conklin Akbari, School of Historical Studies}

Lyttos, a prominent city of ancient Crete, flourished during the Classical and Hellenistic periods but was destroyed by the Knossians in 221/20 B.C.E. and later rebuilt. Under Roman rule, the city thrived, particularly due to the export of its wine, which was highly sought after, as evidenced by amphoras found in Pompeii marked as containing "Lyttian wine." The city's aqueduct is one of the best-preserved ancient constructions on the island, while its large Roman theater was documented by Onorio Belli in the 16th century. Excavations at the site were initially limited but have been renewed since 2021 under the Athens Archaeological Society’s auspices. Significant findings include a fully excavated bouleuterion (town hall), a shrine dedicated to the emperor, and a variety of sculptures, pottery, and marble fragments, which are currently stored for further study.

The ongoing excavation project involves an international team of experts in archaeology, history, epigraphy, and related fields, and has been supported by various external sponsors. However, current support only covers excavation costs, not the subsequent study and publication of the findings. For the study phase, from July 2025 to June 2026, archaeologists will study architectural fragments, pottery, and small finds, in conjunction with a photographer, project administrator, and equipment for pottery analysis. Additionally, restoration of a Trajan statue will be a component of the research project and publication of the site’s discoveries.

Principal Investigator:

^{Angelos Chaniotis, School of Historical Studies}

This project aims to address the fundamental challenge of modeling multi-scale physics in both astrophysics and climate science, where structures and dynamics span vastly different length and time scales. In astrophysics, processes such as star formation and black hole-driven outflows influence structures across ten orders of magnitude, while in climate science, phenomena like cloud formation and ocean-atmosphere interactions must be modeled at scales far smaller than global atmospheric dynamics. Currently, sub-grid models—used to approximate unresolved physics—are developed independently within each discipline. However, given the overlap in underlying physics, cross-disciplinary collaboration could lead to significant advances in both fields. This initiative seeks to bring together experts from astrophysics and climate science to exchange methodologies, refine existing modeling approaches, and develop more effective sub-grid models applicable to both domains.

To facilitate this collaboration, a one-week workshop will be hosted at the Institute for Advanced Study during the 2025–26 academic year, leveraging the strong presence of astrophysics and climate science researchers at IAS and Princeton University. The Nelson Center will serve as a hub for local discussions, while international experts from institutions such as MIT and Caltech will be invited to participate. The workshop will serve as an initial exploratory effort. While the project is planned as a one-year initiative, its outcomes will inform the development of a more extensive research collaboration in the future, aiming to bridge the gap between these two disciplines and accelerate progress in multi-scale modeling.

Principal Investigators:

^{James Stone, School of Natural Sciences
Matias Zaldarriaga, Richard Black Professor, School of Natural Sciences}

The initiative aims to establish a groundbreaking interdisciplinary research hub, uniting experts in mathematics, particle physics, and cosmology to develop a novel framework for understanding the universe at all scales. Building on the vision of the ERC Synergy Grant UNIVERSE+, the center will foster collaboration between leading institutions. By bringing together world-class researchers, postdoctoral scholars, and students, the project will create an environment conducive to deep theoretical breakthroughs, bridging gaps between fundamental physics and advanced mathematics. Key activities will include postdoctoral hires, focused workshops, summer schools, and international collaboration visits, ensuring a dynamic exchange of ideas across disciplines and geographic boundaries.

In addition to advancing scientific discovery, the project will play a vital role in fostering young talent by offering a dedicated Ph.D. program to train the next generation of researchers fluent in this emerging interdisciplinary field. The project will provide a critical platform for cross-disciplinary research that is essential for addressing some of the most profound questions in cosmology and particle physics. Through its commitment to excellence and collaboration, the project will serve as a catalyst for transformative scientific advancements and intellectual synergy.

Principal Investigators:

^{Nima Arkani-Hamed, Gopal Prasad Professor, School of Natural Sciences
Daniel Baumann, National Taiwan University and University of Amsterdam
Johannes Henn, Max Planck Institute for Physics
Matias Zaldarriaga, Richard Black Professor, School of Natural Sciences}