Permutations and Probability (Online) (20w5203)

The Banff International Research Station will host the "Permutations and Probability" workshop in Banff from September 15 to September 17, 2020.

A permutation is an ordering or arrangement of a set of objects. One might think of shuffling a pack of cards, or sorting a list of options into order of preference, or arranging the seating of passengers on an aeroplane or guests at a dinner. Permutations are central objects in many areas of mathematics. This workshop will explore aspects of permutations which arise in probability theory and related fields. This is a highly active area of study, with a variety of striking results in the last few years and many challenging problems outstanding. Random permutations have applications ranging from genetics to comupter science to economics, and arise in many challenging questions throughout mathematics. Many interesting random processes can be thought of as permutations evolving over time. The workshop will bring together researchers from many backgrounds including probability, combinatorics, physics and theoretical computer science, with the goal of advancing our understanding of random permutations and permutation processes, and of sharing ideas from across the many disparate fields where they are studied.

The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provides an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT).