Call for Proposals

Each year the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics hosts visiting programs and workshops in various areas of mathematics and theoretical physics. The following is a short description and the request for proposals to organize these scientific activities at the Center. Your ideas are crucial for the success of the Center! Proposals can be submitted at any time but are reviewed in mid-October and mid-February by the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) of the Center. Proposals can be submitted through our website at any time. They are reviewed and selected by the Center’s Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) in mid-October and mid-February. The following are the upcoming deadlines:

  • September 30, 2023 – deadline for proposal submissions to be reviewed by the October 2023 SAC meeting.
  • January 31, 2024 – deadline for proposal submissions to be reviewed by the February 2024 SAC meeting.
  • **proposals for July and August cannot be considered (due to the summer workshops already scheduled)

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL

The events are organized by committees which might consist of scientists from both outside the Center and inside the Center and Stony Brook academic community. These committees are responsible for choosing the intellectual scope of the event, and proposing invited participants for the activity. The proposal should be submitted by a corresponding member of the organizing committee.

Programs

Each year the Simons Center supports 4-6 visiting programs at the Center. These programs normally last from 1 month to a semester. The invitees are expected to come for at least two weeks, and most come for closer to a month though a few participants, including hopefully at least some of the organizing committee, can be in residence for the entire program. The Center can host roughly 15 -20 visiting members at any one time in a program. The Center provides full administrative support for a program, provides the participants with housing and meal discounts, and some travel support is offered. Many of the programs have workshops associated with them.

Workshops/Conferences

Each year the Simons Center host 10 – 20 one-week workshops. These are concentrated periods of activity in a focused area of research. In addition to providing the administrative support for a workshop, the Center supports up to 50 invited workshop participants. This support includes local lodging and meals, and some travel. A workshop normally will have 5 talks a day with breaks for lunch and afternoon tea. We will not consider proposals for July and August due to our annual Math and Physics Summer Workshops.

Other Events

If you would like to organize an event that does not fit the categories above please contact the Center’s deputy director to discuss your ideas.

Criteria used in selecting proposals

Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by the Center’s Scientific Advisory Committee, which will then make recommendations about which events to support. Below are the criteria used in the selection of proposals.

(i) how well the programmatic activity fits with the mission of the Center, which is to advance fundamental knowledge broadly in geometry and physics, especially at the interface of these two subjects [activities whose organizing committees and key participants include both mathematicians and physicists are especially attractive to the Center]

(ii) amount of activity in the proposed area and the size of the community out of which the invitees will be selected [a certain minimal size of the community is required to ensure a vibrant, diverse program of widespread interest]

(iii) the significance of the work in the proposed area [the proposed activity must have a broad appeal]

(iv) timeliness of an activity in terms of the state of development of the field [we are able to organize activities quite quickly when the developments merit]

(v) whether or not there have recently been other related activities anywhere worldwide

(vi) participation by leaders in the field as organizers and/or central participants in the activity [without such participation the activity lacks the senior leadership necessary to make it successful]

(vii) the diversity of the organizing committee and suggested key participants

(viii) the importance of the proposed event for the Stony Brook academic community.

Every proposal will rate higher on some of these criteria than others, but these are the factors the Scientific Advisory Committee will take into account when evaluating programs. If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact the deputy director of the SCGP.

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL