Simons Foundation Launches New Collaboration on Universal Statistics in Number Theory

The Simons Foundation has announced the creation of the Simons Collaboration on Universal Statistics in Number Theory, a major international initiative bringing together leading researchers to investigate randomness and correlations in number theory. The collaboration will focus on topics including the Riemann zeta function, prime numbers, and the application of ideas from statistical physics to some of the most important questions in modern mathematics.

The CRM is delighted to note that many members of this new collaboration have strong connections to our scientific community and have contributed significantly to the Centre’s activities and impact over the years.

Strong Connections with the CRM:

Organizers and Speakers in CRM 2026 Thematic Programs

• Jon Keating (University of Oxford), director of the collaboration, was an organizer of the 2026 thematic program “Probability in Number Theory: a workshop on the distribution of L-functions and of multiplicative functions.”
• Kannan Soundararajan (Stanford University) was also an organizer of this program.
• Paul Bourgade (New York University) was a speaker in the program.
• Will Sawin (Princeton University) was a speaker in the 2026 thematic program “Arithmetic Statistics.”
• Melanie Matchett Wood (Harvard University) was a speaker in “Arithmetic Statistics” and at the 2026 CMS Summer School.

CRM Members, Former Members and Collaborators

• Dimitris Koukoulopoulos (Université de Montréal) is a member of the CCRM and the CICMA laboratory.
  His fellow principal investigators Andrew Granville and Matilde Lalín (Université de Montréal) are also CRM members and longstanding contributors to many major CRM scientific activities.
• Louis-Pierre Arguin (Baruch College) is a former CRM member and an organizer of the 2026 CMS Summer School.

Former Fellows and Aisenstadt Chairs

• Adam Harper (University of Warwick), Aisenstadt Chair 2026, was a CRM-ISM and CICMA postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Andrew Granville.
• James Maynard (University of Oxford) was also a CRM-ISM postdoctoral fellow supervised by Andrew Granville.
• Peter Sarnak (Institute for Advanced Study and Princeton University) held the 2003 Aisenstadt Chair.
• Melanie Matchett Wood is an Aisenstadt Chair 2026 holder.

A Scientific Legacy Connected to the CRM

• Kaisa Matomäki (University of Turku) and Maksym Radziwiłł (New York University) received the 2023 Frank Nelson Cole Prize in Number Theory for their paper Multiplicative Functions in Short Intervals. The work was conceived and developed during the CRM thematic semester held in Winter 2014, co-organized by Andrew Granville, whose mentorship was explicitly acknowledged by the prize recipients.

The CRM warmly congratulates all researchers involved in this new international collaboration and is pleased to see the strong ties between its community and some of the most exciting developments in contemporary number theory.

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