How I fell in love with string diagrams

Abstract: I will talk about a research adventure I had 10 years ago, rediscovering linear algebra with string diagrams, and resulting in the blog Graphical Linear Algebra and the paper Interacting Hopf Algebras in collaboration with Filippo Bonchi and Fabio Zanasi. This was followed by several subsequent papers and PhD theses that developed the theory further. But more importantly than blogs and papers, it was one of the most fun experiences that I’ve had with research. Along the way I discovered some fun little mathematical facts, some of which I’ll share in this talk.

Speaker Bio: Pawel Sobocinski is Professor of Trustworthy Software Technologies at the Tallinn University of Technology. He leads the Laboratory for Compositional Systems and Methods. He takes part in CHESS, the Cyber-security Excellence Hub in Estonia and South Moravia, funded by the European Commission. He is also a TalTech PI of EXAI, the Estonian Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence, financed by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research. He is also the author of the blog series on Graphical Linear Algebra (linear algebra through string diagrams) --- graphicallinearalgebra.net/.

Moderator: The talk will be moderated by Priyaa Varshinee Srinivasan. Priyaa is a postdoctoral fellow at the Tallinn University of Technology researching categorical quantum mechanics. Her vision is for everyone to experience the joy of mathematics in their own way. She has co-authored a live digital book titled “Relational thinking: from abstractions to applications” which reveals the thought-process behind creating mathematics (category theory) using story-telling, illustrations, and visualization of computations. The book can be found at toposinstitute.github.io/RelationalThinking-Book/cover.html.

Computer scienceMathematics

Audience: researchers in the topic

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Relatorium seminar

Series comments: The name "Relatorium" combines "relator" with the Latin root "-ium," meaning "a place for activities" (as in "auditorium" or "gymnasium"). This seminar series is a platform to relate ideas, interact with math, and connect with each other.

In this series, we explore math beyond what we usually hear in standard talks. These sessions fall somewhere between a technical talk and a podcast: moderately formal, yet conversational. The philosophy behind the series is that math is best learned by active participation rather than passive listening. Our aim is to “engage and involve,” inviting everyone to think actively with the speaker. The concepts are accessible, exploratory, and intended to spark questions and discussions.

The idea of relatability has strong ties to compassion — creating space for shared understanding and exploration - which is the spirit of this seminar! This is a pilot project, so we’re here to improvise, learn, and evolve as we go!

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