Fernando Lucatelli Nunes

Research community · Doctoral development

CLASS Seminar

Category, Logic, Algebra & Semantics Seminar

An international group for sharing ideas and developing a common language across mathematics and computer science.

CLASS is a continuing seminar and reading group, centred on the students I supervise and open to a wider community. Most participants are PhD students working in mathematics or computer science, with interests that include algebra, logic, category theory and programming language semantics.

A community across institutions

My students in pure mathematics and computer science work at different universities and in different countries. CLASS provides a regular point of contact across these settings, creating opportunities to discuss work in progress and engage with ideas beyond each participant's immediate research environment.

Through these conversations, I hope to support a broader intellectual community in which participants learn from one another and develop academic relationships that continue beyond their doctoral studies.

Communicating across research backgrounds

A central aim of CLASS is to make research accessible to colleagues with different expertise. A construction familiar to a pure mathematician may require explanation for a computer scientist, just as a programming example may need context for a mathematical audience. Speakers are encouraged to explain what motivates their questions, make the relevant background explicit, and use examples to connect intuition with precise arguments.

Discussion is integral to the seminar. Questions, pauses and alternative explanations allow participants to examine an idea together and develop a shared understanding. This exchange also invites us to consider what others find significant in a problem and to reflect on the assumptions and habits of our own fields.

Taking part

Contributions may concern participants' own research, ideas still taking shape, or an exposition of a paper or topic they wish to understand more deeply. Work in progress is welcome, and a common specialist background is not assumed.

Participants also help shape the direction of the group through suggestions for topics, readings and formats. The seminar develops through their interests and contributions, with an emphasis on thoughtful discussion and shared learning.