The Edinburgh category theory seminar runs on most termtime Wednesdays from 12:05 to 13:00, in the Bayes Centre, Room 5.46. Talks are also livestreamed.
The seminar is intended to be an informal environment where people interested in category theory can share ideas. Many of our speakers are internal, with some guests. Talks span a wide range of topics, from higher categories to theoretical computer science, so they should be accessible to anyone with some category theory basics. There is no requirement to talk about cutting-edge research, and, in particular, PhD students should feel comfortable giving an introductory talk on some standard categorical topic.
For more details, or to propose a talk, please email Maia or Tom. There is step-free level access throughout the Bayes Centre, and all toilets are gender-neutral; more information about accessibility of the Bayes Centre is available via AccessAble. Please let one or both of us know if you have any unaccommodated accessibility requirements.
This is one of several seminars run within the Hodge Institute at Edinburgh. The Edinburgh category theory seminar was run by Adrián Doña Mateo and Tom from 2024 to 2026, and by Emily Roff and Ruben Van Belle from 2020 to 2023.
Understanding expressions such as "the free monoidal category on a monoid" or "the free finite limit category containing a graph" takes a little work but, once done, opens a surprising number of doors. Walking through these doors, we meet structures as diverse as cobordisms, classifying toposes and Thompson's notorious group F. I will give a round-up.
To be announced...
This sentence was last updated on 2026-09-15.