Applying to R.O.M.E.

ROME, Research Opportunities in Mathematical Evolution, is an initiative of the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics intended to introduce outstanding undergraduates and beginning graduate students to the ways in which the mathematics of evolution arise across the natural sciences. Research encompasses a broad array of projects spanning mathematics (in particular combinatorics, probability theory, and set theory), physics, biology, linguistics, economics, and both the applied and theoretical aspects of computer science.

Previous ROME students have had a diverse array of talents and interests. ROME students have been Putnam Fellows, Hoopes Prize winners, International Mathematics Olympiad Gold Medallists, and winners of the MIT 50K Entrepreneurship Competition. They represent departments from across Mathematics, the Sciences, and Engineering fields. They are united by a willingness to look beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries and aggressively apply sophisticated mathematical thinking in uncharted scientific territory.

The Program for Evolutionary Dynamics (PED) is directed by Martin Nowak, Professor of Mathematics and Professor of Biology. ROME was created in 2003 by Harvard graduate student Erez Lieberman.

If you or a student you know is interested in joining us for a research experience/rotation, please submit a CV or resume and a transcript to elieberm@fas.harvard.edu as well as one letter of recommendation. For students interested in writing undergraduate senior theses, two letters of recommendation are required.

Summer research opportunities are also available. Funding from the Harvard College Research Program and/or the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology may be available assuming the applications are made sufficiently early. Please note that only Harvard undergraduates are eligible to apply for funding.


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