Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (formerly MSRI)
(posted 2025/09/01, updated 2025/08/27)program Description
PROOF (Promoting Research Opportunities and Open Forums) is a two-week summer program designed to provide research opportunities for U.S.-based mathematicians, statisticians, and their collaborators in the U.S. and abroad, whose ongoing research may have been impacted by factors such as heavy teaching loads, professional isolation, limited access to funding, heavy administrative duties, personal obligations, or other constraints.
The program welcomes in-person participation from faculty and advanced graduate students at all U.S. colleges and universities. It aligns with SLMath’s broader goal to open doors to mathematics by creating environments where researchers from a wide range of institutional settings can thrive, pursue projects, and reach their full academic/scientific potential.
The priority application deadline is October 12, 2025. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis after this date until capacity is reached.
Eligibility:
- Groups of two to five mathematicians with partial results on an established project may submit an application to the program.
- Each member must have a PhD or advanced graduate standing; at least 60% of the group members must be in the mathematical or statistical sciences.
- At least 50% of the team members must be U.S.-based.
- All members of the group must be in residence for the full visit (two weeks).
- Applicants may apply as a member of only one research group.
- The 2-week visit to SLMath must take place between June 8, 2026 to July 31, 2026.
- A brief history of the collaboration
- The broader mathematical context and motivation for the research area
- The context, description, goals, and impact of the specific research problems to be addressed
- The partial results already obtained
- A timeline for the project, including which parts are suitable for before, during and after the residence at SLMath
- A list of all members on the research team, including home institution and location, email address, citizenship, year of PhD, and current position
- Current teaching load for each participant. List members, if any, who had to delay promotion timelines and if so for how long
- List members, if any, who have participated in previous summer programs at SLMath (formerly MSRI), and if so, what programs and when
- A biographical sketch (following NSF format) of no more than three pages for each of the team members
- Preferred dates of the visit
- A list of Mathematics Subject Classification Codes (primary and secondary)
- A list of keywords
Selection Process:
In choosing the groups, preference will be given to teams made up of a majority of US citizens and Permanent Residents, teams whose members come from a variety of institutions, teams made up of members at various stages of their careers, teams with a strong alignment with the program’s goals, and proposals related to core/fundamental mathematics and its applications.
Funding:
- Lodging in spacious and comfortable dorm apartments on the campus of UC Berkeley
- All meals
- Reimbursement of travel expenses to Berkeley
- To allow visitors to fully participate in its scientific activities, SLMath offers Childcare Grants to researchers with children age 17 and under
- Pending availability, mathematicians who are spouses or partners of invited group members will be offered shared office space
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Application Materials Required:
- Submit the following items online at this website to complete your application:
- Project Description (should not exceed four pages)
- Alignment Statement (should not exceed two pages)
- List of all team members, include home institution, email address, citizenship, year of PhD, and current position
- Current teaching load for each participant
- List members who have participated in previous SLMath summer activities
- 3 page bio-sketch for all participants
Further Info:
17 Gauss Way
Berkeley CA 94720-5070