International Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Edinburgh · 16 - 20 March 2026
We're delighted to welcome you to Edinburgh!
This page tells you what to expect, what's planned for the workshop, and how to make the most of the city while you're here.
International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS), Bayes Centre, 47 Potterrow, Edinburgh
The Bayes Centre opens at 9am and you will be able to enter the building from 9am onwards. ICMS is located on level 5. Please pick up your access badge there when you arrive. Details of the location can be viewed here. It would be much appreciated if you kept the swipe card in the lanyard and returned it to us on the last day of event.
The lead ICMS administrator for our workshop is Ka Yin. She will have gotten in touch with you via email already. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact her.
ETA and Visas: from April 2025, all visitors to the UK who do not need a visa for short stays and who do not already have a UK immigration status must obtain an ETA. Guidance can be found here.
There will be a keynote at the start of each day.
The first two days and Wednesday morning will also feature contributed talks on a wide range of topics, with plenty of time for discussion and conversation in between. But this is a workshop, not a conference: we've also set aside time for participants to actually work together on new ideas.
On Wednesday afternoon and evening, after two and a half days of talks and conversation, we'll ask everyone to submit one or two questions or ideas they'd like to work on. We'll display all the suggestions and let everyone vote for their favourites, to help people with similar interests find each other. We'll then head out for an excursion and a ceilidh, a traditional Scottish social dance with live music. No experience needed.
On Thursday, we've set aside most of the day for participants to work together in small groups on the topics that emerged from the Wednesday session.
On Friday, groups are invited to share what they came up with: a research agenda, a paper sketch, or whatever makes sense. Presenting is voluntary, but all participants vote for their favourite, and there's a prize for the winner.
The full schedule of talks can be found here.
| Day | Format |
|---|---|
| Mon 16 | Keynote: Kosuke Imai (Harvard)
Contributed talks all day |
| Tue 17 | Keynote: Tamara Broderick (MIT)
Contributed talks all day |
| Wed 18 | Keynote: Luke Marris (DeepMind)
Contributed talks in the morning Group formation and excursion in the afternoon Ceilidh in the evening |
| Thu 19 | Keynote: Annie Liang (Northwestern)
Working groups all day |
| Fri 20 | Keynote: Stephen Hansen (UCL)
Group presentations and prize (half day) |
After the last contributed talk on Wednesday, we plan to walk up Arthur's Seat, an ancient volcano right in the middle of the city with spectacular views over Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth. It's a straightforward walk but steep in places. Wear shoes with a good grip, and bring a waterproof layer — Edinburgh weather can change quickly. If the walk isn't for you, that's absolutely fine; we'll share a meeting point for anyone who wants to head straight to dinner.
If the weather is genuinely bad, we'll head instead to the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street, a 5-minute walk from the venue. It's free, excellent, and large enough that people can explore independently before reconvening for dinner.
Self-guided route suggestions for Arthur's Seat:
https://geowalks.scot/arthurs-seat/arthurs-seat-self-guided-walks/
After dinner, we'll head to a ceilidh at Stramash (
https://stramashedinburgh.com/calendar/
) on the Cowgate. It starts at 9:30pm and runs until 11:30pm. It's free and no booking is required — though it gets busy, so arrive reasonably promptly. Plan dinner for around 7–9pm to leave time to get there.
A ceilidh (pronounced KAY-lee) is a traditional Scottish social dance with live folk music. The dances are called out as you go, so no experience whatsoever is needed. It is extremely fun, high energy, and one of those things that sounds slightly alarming until you're actually doing it, at which point it becomes the highlight of the trip. Come along.
Lunches and refreshments will be provided on each day of the workshop. If you have a food allergy, or if you cannot attend the lunches, please let Ka Yin know.
ICMS is not able to cover evening meals or drinks, so these will be pay-your-own-way. Each evening we'll announce where we're heading and you're welcome to join or to explore on your own.
Here are our suggestions.
Pubs and casual dining:
Real Mary King's Close: a guided tour through Edinburgh's preserved medieval underground streets. Genuinely fascinating. Around £20–25 per person; book in advance.
https://www.realmarykingsclose.com/
Calton Hill: a short walk from the Old Town with panoramic views over the city, especially good around dusk. Free, and takes about 20 minutes to climb.
The Royal Mile and Old Town: the historic core of the city, worth a wander at any point during the week.
For those whose accommodation was booked by ICMS, you have already received an email from Ka Yin with all the details. Please contact Ka Yin if you have any questions about your accommodation.
Edinburgh's city centre is compact and most things are within easy walking distance of the venue. Taxis and rideshares (Uber, Bolt) are readily available if needed.
We look forward to seeing you in Edinburgh!
The organizing team