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M = ⎡ 0.3 0.4 0.3 ⎤ ⎢ 0.2 0.5 0.3 ⎥ ⎣ 0.4 0.2 0.4 ⎦ H(C) = entropy rate = mass d(u,v) = commute time C₁ C₂ C₃

TRACE Research Institute — Talent

TRACE recruits
minds that
rewrite reality.

This is not a job board.

We are building the mathematical proof that consciousness underlies spacetime. The work is frontier physics. The colleagues are world-class. The stakes are as high as science gets.

Express Interest
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What Working at TRACE Means

"We don't derive consciousness from physics. We derive physics from consciousness."

TRACE is not a startup, a lab, or a department. It is an institute pursuing a single, very large idea: that the laws of physics — quantum mechanics, general relativity, the Standard Model — emerge from the dynamics of conscious agents, not the other way around.

The mathematical framework is already in motion. The Fitness Beats Truth theorem is proven. The free particle wavefunction has been derived from agent dynamics. Empirical tests against particle scattering data are underway. The question is no longer whether this is possible. It's how far the proof goes.

Working at TRACE means contributing to that proof. You will be surrounded by mathematicians, physicists, and consciousness scientists who take the hardest problem in science seriously — and believe they are close to cracking it.

8

Core Conjectures

3

Proven Theorems

What's at Stake

The TRACE Environment

The Problem Space

You are working on the intersection of quantum gravity, consciousness science, and mathematical physics. No existing institution is doing this. You are at the frontier by definition.

The Colleagues

Carlo Rovelli. Donald Hoffman. Chetan Prakash. Rupert Spira. Chris Timmermann. You collaborate with people who have spent careers at the edge. This raises the floor of every conversation.

The Stakes

A Copernican-scale shift in how physics understands reality. If the conjectures hold, this is not an incremental advance. This is the kind of work that changes what science believes is possible.

Who We're Looking For

Exceptional minds.
Unconventional enough to follow the math where it leads.

Mathematical Fluency

Comfort with Markov chains, stochastic processes, or mathematical physics. You don't need to know all of it — but you need to be able to learn the rest in months, not years.

Tolerance for Hard Problems

The hard problem of consciousness is called hard for a reason. We don't need optimism — we need people who find unsolved problems energizing rather than discouraging.

Interdisciplinary Range

TRACE sits at the intersection of physics, mathematics, philosophy, and consciousness science. Narrow specialists are welcome — if they're also genuinely curious about the other three.

Willingness to be Wrong

The conjectures are conjectures. We need people who hold theoretical commitments lightly enough to follow evidence, even if it dismantles what they built.

"If you are looking for a conventional academic position with clear publication incentives and institutional certainty — TRACE is not that. If you are looking for the most interesting physics problem in the world, with colleagues who take it seriously — you may have found it."

Express Interest

How to
Reach Us

We don't run open applications. We recruit through conversation. If you believe your work is relevant to TRACE — whether in mathematical physics, consciousness studies, computational modeling, or philosophy of mind — write to us.

What to include

  • 1 Your background — Two or three sentences on your training and what you've worked on. No CV required to start — clarity is better than credentials.
  • 2 The specific connection — What aspect of TRACE's work intersects yours? The more precise, the better. Vague enthusiasm is less useful than specific overlap.
  • 3 The question you'd pursue — If you joined TRACE, what would you work on? Even a rough answer reveals more about fit than a polished application letter.
  • 4 Any relevant work — Papers, preprints, code, or unpublished notes. Not required, but useful if the connection is technical.