Workshop on the Mathematics of Transformers (Aug 2026)
This workshop will focus on the transformer architecture and its underlying (self-)attention mechanisms that gained substantial interest in recent years. Despite their empirical success and groundbreaking advances in natural language processing, computer vision, and scientific computing, the mathematical understanding of transformers is still in its infancy, with many fundamental questions only starting to be posed and addressed.
After the first edition of the Workshop on the Mathematics of Transformers having taken place at DESY, Hamburg in September 2025, we are excited to host the second edition of this workshop at the Mathematical Institute in Oxford.
We aim to bring together researchers with backgrounds in multi-agent dynamics, optimal transport, and PDEs, to initiate discussions on a variety of aspects connected to the theoretical principles governing transformers. By fostering discussions, we seek to advance this young and rapidly evolving research field, uncovering new mathematical perspectives on transformer models.
Location and Date
The workshop will be hosted at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Oxford (Andrew Wiles Building) in lecture hall L5 on August 21, 2026.
Registration
Registration for the workshop is now open and can be completed using the Google form. Submitted applications will be reviewed once a month and we will send a confirmation mail to admitted participants. The formal registration deadline is July 21, 2026, or once the number of available spots is filled. We encourage early registrations.
Confirmed Speakers
TBD
Schedule
The preliminary schedule of the workshop is as follows.
| August 21st | Schedule |
|---|---|
| 9:00–9:30 | Registration Get-to-know-each-other |
| 9:30–9:45 | Welcome & Introduction |
| 9:45–10:20 | Talk 1: TBA by TBA Abstract: TBA |
| 10:20–10:55 | Talk 2: TBA by TBA Abstract: TBA |
| 10:55–11:20 | Group Photo Coffee break |
| 11:20–11:55 | Talk 3: TBA by TBA Abstract: TBA |
| 11:55–12:30 | Talk 4: TBA by TBA Abstract: TBA |
| 12:30–14:00 | Lunch break (1.5h) |
| 14:00–14:35 | Talk 5: TBA by TBA Abstract: TBA |
| 14:35–15:10 | Talk 6: TBA by TBA Abstract: TBA |
| 15:10–15:40 | Coffee break |
| 15:40–17:30 | Discussion Session Format: TBA (integral part of workshop) |
| 17:30–19:30 | Social Event Oxford walking tour (in groups, organized) |
| 19:30–21:30 | Dinner TBC |
Travel and Accommodation
The closest international airport is London Heathrow Airport (LHR). An alternative is London Gatwick Airport (LGW).
The Oxford airline bus frequently commutes between Oxford and LHR/LGW.
For accommodation, it may be worth checking college accommodation.
Organizers
José A. Carrillo (University of Oxford)
Daniel Kelly (University of Oxford)
Konstantin Riedl (University of Oxford)
Tim Roith (Technical University of Munich)
We gratefully acknowledge support from G-Research to fund the workshop (KR's G-Research January 2026 grant).