Charlotte Aten's Homepage


I am a mathematics postdoctoral scholar at the University of Denver.

Research Interests

My core interests tend to cycle around combinatorics, universal algebra, and category theory. I study functorial constructions of spaces from quasigroups, representation stability, and categorified invariant theory. I am also a proponent of applied category theory, in particular with respect to machine learning and formal verification.

Curriculum Vitae


Publications and recent preprints

A partition formula from idempotents (2023)
Discrete neural nets and polymorphic learning (2023)
Finite Generation of Families of Structures Equipped with Compatible Group Actions (PhD thesis, 2022)
A multi-linear geometric estimate (with Alex Iosevich, 2021)
Orientable triangulable manifolds are essentially quasigroups (with Semin Yoo, 2021)
Multiplayer rock-paper-scissors (Algebra Universalis, 2020)
Multiplayer Rock-Paper-Scissors (short paper appearing in the conference proceedings of Algebras and Lattices in Hawaiʻi 2018)
The Topology of Magmas (senior thesis, 2017)
Nonnormal Quotients (undergraduate independent study project, 2016)
Tiling sets and spectral sets over finite fields (with REU group at the University of Rochester, Journal of Functional Analysis, 2015)

Textbooks

Category Theory: A Concise Course (with Venanzio Capretta and William DeMeo, 2019)

Code

Github

News

Why this Rochester math professor champions year-round undergraduate research

Video

YouTube channel
Universal algebra and lattice theory lectures

Social media

Mastodon
Mathematics StackExchange (Not currently in use.)
History of Science and Mathmematics StackExchange (Not currently in use.)

Talks

Monoid representations and partitions (University of Denver Algebra and Logic Seminar 2023 Fall)
Discrete neural nets and polymorphic learning (Part 2) (University of Denver Machine Learning Seminar 2022 Fall) [Code]
Discrete neural nets and polymorphic learning (Part 1) (University of Denver Machine Learning Seminar 2022 Fall)
Discrete neural nets and polymorphic learning (Panglobal Algebra and Logic Seminar 2023 Fall)
Discrete neural nets and polymorphic learning (University of Nottingham Online Machine Learning Seminar 2023 Fall)
On the construction of manifolds from n-ary quasigroups (LOOPS'23)
On the construction of manifolds from n-ary quasigroups (University of Rochester Combinatorics Seminar 2023 Spring)
Categorical models of linear logic (University of Denver Algebraic Logic Seminar 2023 Winter)
Exploring Dialectica Categorical Constructions (Joint Mathematics Meetings 2023, given on behalf of Valeria de Paiva)
Perceptrons and the Fundmental Theorem of Statistical Learning (University of Denver Machine Learning Seminar 2022 Fall)
PAC Learning (University of Denver Machine Learning Seminar 2022 Fall)
Invariants of Structures (University of Denver Algebra and Logic Seminar 2022 Fall)
Finite Generation of Families of Structures Equipped with Compatible Group Actions (PhD thesis defense, 2022)
Distributive lattices in rock-paper-scissors (Joint Mathematics Meetings 2022)
Orientable smooth manifolds are essentially quasigroups (Panglobal Algebra and Logic Seminar 2022 Spring) [Video]
A multi-linear geometric estimate (Virginia Tech Analysis and Mathematical Physics Seminar 2021 Fall) [Video]
Orientable smooth manifolds are essentially quasigroups (Binghamton University's Graduate Conference in Algebra and Topology 2021) [Video]
My Hawaiʻian Earring (SUMS Math Talk 2021 Spring) [Video and code]
Algebraic theories (Lecture for MTH 549 Category theory) [Video]
Multiplayer rock-paper-scissors (New York Combinatorics Seminar 2021 Spring) [Video]
Universal algebra gives universal approximation for neural nets (Rochester Combinatorics Seminar 2021 Spring) [Video]
Multiplayer rock-paper-scissors (Panglobal Algebra and Logic Seminar 2021 Spring) [Video]
Multiplayer rock-paper-scissors (Binghamton University's Graduate Conference in Algebra and Topology 2020) [Video]
A High School Algebra Problem (SUMS Math Talk 2020 Spring)
More Multiplayer Rock-Paper-Scissors (University of Rochester Graduate Student Seminar 2019 Fall)
Topological Lattices and Book Spaces (Binghamton University's Graduate Conference in Algebra and Topology 2018)
Classifying Topological Magmas (University of Rochester Graduate Student Seminar 2018 Fall)
Multiplayer Rock-Paper-Scissors (Algebras and Lattices in Hawaiʻi 2018)
Multiplayer Rock-Paper-Scissors (University of Rochester Graduate Student Seminar 2018 Spring)
Universal Algebra and Boolean Semilattices (Binghamton University's Graduate Conference in Algebra and Topology 2017)
A Brief Introduction to Universal Algebra (University of Rochester Graduate Student Seminar 2017 Fall)
The Topology of Magmas (Senior thesis presentation, 2017)
Relational Structures as Directed Hypergraphs (Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics 2017)
The Topology of Magmas (National Conference on Undergraduate Research 2016)
Topological Algebra: On Viewing Operations as Simplicial Complexes (National Conference for McNair Scholars 2016)
Constructions of Geometric Objects Encoding Algebraic Structures (David T. Kearns Center Research Symposium 2015)
Division by Zero: Development of a Relevant Algebra with Historical Context (Monroe Community College Scholars' Day 2014)
An Introduction to Hyperspace with a Construction of the 4-Cube (Monroe Community College Math Awareness Month 2013)

Teaching

MATH 2060 Elements of Linear Algebra (2023 Fall)
MATH 1951 Calculus I (2023 Fall)
MATH 1953 Calculus III (2023 Spring)
MATH 1150 Social Choice Theory: The Mathematics of Voting and Social Welfare (2023 Winter)
MATH 2060 Elements of Linear Algebra (2022 Fall)
MATH 1951 Calculus I (2022 Fall)
MATH 165 Linear algebra with differential equations (2021 Summer)
MATH 162 Calculus IIA (2020 Summer)
Other teaching experience may be found in my CV.

Art

Fractals
Automata

Humor

A proof that everything can be described using mathematics: Recall that mathematics is the study of abstract relationships. Suppose towards a contradiction that there is some thing, say A, which is not describable in terms of math. "X is not describable in terms of Y" is a relationship between X and Y. We have then exhibited a relationship between A and math, which is a mathematical descriptor of A, contradicting our assumption that A was not amenable to such descriptions.

Contact

charlotte.aten@du.edu
Office: CMK 104