Cumrun Vafa

[Cumrun Vafa @CumrunV]

I’m excited to share my new book, Puzzles to Unravel the Universe, based on a freshman seminar I teach at Harvard. It includes over a hundred puzzles and discussion on how they relate to deep ideas in physics and math.

Available in paperback and Kindle:
https://t.co/DajQjvFgvN

[Cumrun Vafa @CumrunV]

Interesting paper about AI and physics from an author I know very well!

[Keyon Vafa @keyonV]

Can an AI model predict perfectly and still have a terrible world model?

What would that even mean?

Our new ICML paper formalizes these questions

One result tells the story: A transformer trained on 10M solar systems nails planetary orbits. But it botches gravitational laws 🧵

[Keyon Vafa @keyonV]

New paper: How can you tell if a transformer has the right world model?

We trained a transformer to predict directions for NYC taxi rides. The model was good. It could find shortest paths between new points

But had it built a map of NYC? We reconstructed its map and found this:

[Keyon Vafa @keyonV]

Belated updates:

1- I defended my PhD in May! Big thank you to my committee and especially to my advisor, @blei_lab.

2- I'm excited to start a postdoc at Harvard! Very grateful to @harvard_data for the opportunity.

[Keyon Vafa @keyonV]

1/ I had the opportunity to join the @DataSkeptic podcast to discuss CAREER, a method that uses transfer learning to model career trajectories. This is a project I've been working on with @blei_lab and @Susan_Athey's group. Thank you for having me on!

https://t.co/K7h3GdRp20

[Keyon Vafa @keyonV]

Excited to speak this Saturday at the #NeurIPS2022 Workshop on Distribution Shifts about CAREER, a transformer-based method for modeling career trajectories from labor sequence data.

https://t.co/zUQnv6TzKH

w/ @Susan_Athey, @blei_lab, @EmilPalikot, @TianyuDu7, @AyushKanodia

[Keyon Vafa @keyonV]

New paper: https://t.co/8CjhtqB1j8

Consider a sequence generated by a language model. Which words were most important for generating each word?

We propose greedy rationalization: greedily finding the smallest subset of words that would make the same prediction as the full text.

[World Science U @WorldScienceU]

Tune in this Friday, August 21 at 11am EDT for @bgreene’s live conversation with @brkthroughprize winner @cumrunv. They will discuss the past, present and future of string theory and how puzzles ignited his interest in physics. Join us here: https://t.co/iAaXL2NWXO #WorldSciU

[Cumrun Vafa @CumrunV]

Thank you @HarvardMagazine for the nice article about my book: https://t.co/nkansjTvW8

[Cumrun Vafa @CumrunV]

I’m excited to share my new book, Puzzles to Unravel the Universe, based on a freshman seminar I teach at Harvard. It includes over a hundred puzzles and discussion on how they relate to deep ideas in physics and math.

Available in paperback and Kindle:
https://t.co/DajQjvFgvN

[Cumrun Vafa @CumrunV]

My public website https://t.co/EzZT6f77pK includes a selection of my lecture videos, as well as interviews and publications.

[Cumrun Vafa @CumrunV]

ICTP Interviews: Professor Vafa https://t.co/V6yENZFvef via @YouTube

[Harvard University @Harvard]

Will you be watching curling at the #Olympics? Last year the Crimson curling program finished 4th in the country at the USA College Championships https://t.co/lFGDiVA6wJ

[Keyon Vafa @keyonV]

Is it just me or does this extra from the Big Bang Theory look like me?

[Cumrun Vafa @CumrunV]

To see the view, climb the mountain. Without confusion, clarity is hard to appreciate. These times will also pass and clarity will set in.

[Keyon Vafa @keyonV]

If you thought Trump's address was a little bizarre, check out these inauguration word clouds https://t.co/KgPJqEMcZx

[Cumrun Vafa @CumrunV]

Optimism is a key to successful research. The belief that somehow things will work out at the end, usually leads exactly to that result!

[Cumrun Vafa @CumrunV]

As an Iranian-American I'm inspired by the legacy of ancient Persian scientists. Science is a timeless borderless adventure.

[Cumrun Vafa @CumrunV]

Reality is too strange to pass as a believable science fiction plot. No science fiction plot can do justice to the unreal nature of reality.

[Cumrun Vafa @CumrunV]

In a sense all scientists are religious. Otherwise, why would they be searching without believing there's something out there worth finding?

[Cumrun Vafa @CumrunV]

Pursuing science is the most fun game and at the same time the most meaningful activity a mind can be engaged in. I feel very lucky!