£5 million grant to establish new laboratory for AI-assisted mathematics at Imperial

The Langlands Lab will explore how artificial intelligence could transform mathematical research and doctoral training in mathematics.

A £5 million grant from XTX Markets will establish a new research laboratory at Imperial College London, which will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) could change the way mathematicians carry out research and make new discoveries.

The Langlands Lab, led by Professor Kevin Buzzard of the Department of Mathematics, will advance research at the frontiers of mathematics while developing new ways to understand, explain and communicate mathematics using AI-assisted methods.

Exploring new approaches to mathematical discovery

The laboratory will focus its research on the Langlands program, an ambitious area of modern mathematics that aims to uncover connections between different fields, particularly number theory and analysis.

It aims to produce new mathematical results verified using Lean, a software tool that checks the logical correctness of mathematical proofs, and research papers that make these results accessible to other mathematicians.

The lab also aims to develop freely available interactive tools to help mathematicians understand complex mathematical ideas and proofs. These could allow users to work through mathematical arguments at their own pace, with detailed explanations of unfamiliar concepts available as they go.

Rethinking how mathematicians work and learn

The Langlands Lab gives us the flexibility to explore new ways of learning, teaching, exploring and understanding mathematics. Professor Kevin Buzzard Professor of Pure Mathematics

The Langlands Lab will pioneer new approaches to doctoral training that prepare mathematicians for the growing role of AI in mathematical research, equipping them to use AI effectively while developing the expertise needed to understand and explain new discoveries.

PhD students will use AI-assisted methods to explore mathematical questions and contribute to advanced research. They will be required to develop a deep understanding of the mathematics they are working on, explaining and defending their results without AI assistance before taking responsibility for research outputs.

The lab will also experiment with collaborative approaches to producing and publishing mathematical research, including the possibility of publishing results collectively as a team.

Professor Kevin Buzzard, Professor of Pure Mathematics, said: “AI is changing what it means to do mathematical research, and we need to rethink how we train the next generation of mathematicians. It's still critical that we educate humans to become experts, but we also need to think again about what we expect from a PhD and how we assess the work students do. The Langlands Lab gives us the flexibility to explore new ways of learning, teaching, exploring and understanding mathematics, keeping human education at the core but experimenting with the new tools available to mathematicians.”

Investing in mathematical research and talent

The Langlands Lab will explore the role AI can play in mathematical discovery particularly focussing on how we train PhD students in this new era. Professor Axel Gandy Head of the Department of Mathematics

The grant will support five PhD students and three postdoctoral researchers over four years, as well as the academic leadership and management of the laboratory. The lab will begin operating in 2027, with its first PhD students enrolling that year. The funding will also provide significant AI computing resources, support visits by researchers from other institutions and enable the laboratory to organise workshops that bring mathematicians together to exchange ideas.

Professor Axel Gandy, Head of the Department of Mathematics at Imperial, said: “We are extremely grateful for this generous grant. Advances in AI are opening up exciting new possibilities for mathematical research, which may fundamentally change how mathematics is discovered and developed. The Langlands Lab will explore the role AI can play in mathematical discovery particularly focussing on how we train PhD students in this new era. We hope that the lab will develop useful models for the wider mathematical community.”