{"podcast":{"title":"Breaking Math Podcast","slug":"breaking-math-podcast-325661","podcast_index_feed_id":325661,"rss_url":"https://media.rss.com/breaking-math/feed.xml","website_url":"https://breakingmath.io","image_url":"https://media.rss.com/breaking-math/20260128_120149_db52c06c727767171b7ad28e5f6a32af.png","author":"Autumn Phaneuf & Noah Giansiracusa","episode_count":192,"summary":"Breaking Math is a deep-dive science, technology, engineering, AI, and mathematics podcast that explores the world through the lens of logic, patterns, and critical thinking. Hosted by Autumn Phaneuf , an expert in industrial engineering, operations research, and applied mathematics, and Noah Giansiracusa , a mathematician and leading voice in algorithmic literacy and technology ethics, the show is dedicated to uncovering the mathematical structures behind science, technology, and the systems shaping our future. What began as a conversation about math as a pure and elegant discipline has evolved into a platform for bold, interdisciplinary dialogue. Each episode of Breaking Math takes listeners on an intellectual journey—into the strange beauty of chaos theory, the ethical dilemmas of AI and algorithms, the hidden math of biology and evolution, or the physics governing black holes and the cosmos. Along the way, Autumn and Noah speak with working scientists, researchers, and thinkers across fields: computer scientists, physicists, chemists, engineers, economists, philosophers, and more. But this isn’t just a podcast about equations. It’s a show about how mathematics shapes the way w…","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-math-podcast-325661"},"episode":{"title":"Disappearing Grants, Genius Grants, and the AI Proofs with Lauren K. Williams","slug":"disappearing-grants-genius-grants-and-the-ai-proofs-with-lauren-k-williams","published_at":"2026-03-11T02:52:10+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-math-podcast-325661/disappearing-grants-genius-grants-and-the-ai-proofs-with-lauren-k-williams","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-math-podcast-325661","url":"https://rss.com/podcasts/breaking-math/2618848","audio_url":"https://content.rss.com/episodes/369257/2618848/breaking-math/2026_03_11_02_48_00_97f03c9e-23fa-43d1-aa2a-ab2511c0249f.mp3","summary":"In this episode, Lauren Williams, professor of mathematics at Harvard University and a 2025 MacArthur Fellow, speaks about the surprising and often messy reality of mathematical research. The conversation begins with a turbulent moment in academia, when federal grants supporting her work were suddenly canceled—only months before she received the MacArthur “Genius Grant,” an unexpected recognition that allowed her to continue her research. Williams explains her work in algebraic combinatorics, illustrating how abstract mathematics can connect to real-world systems. The discussion also explores the human side of discovery, from collaborations that span continents to the strange coincidence of research papers and babies arriving the same week. Finally, the episode dives into one of the most intriguing experiments in modern mathematics: the First Proof project, which tests whether artificial intelligence can produce genuine mathematical proofs, revealing both the promise and the current limitations of AI-generated reasoning. Chapters 01:27 Winning the MacArthur Genius Grant 01:43 Becoming a Woman in Mathematics at Harvard 04:25 Research Applications 10:04 The Human Side of Research 12:20 The First Proof Project 18:29 Advice for Young Mathematicians 22:51 The Intersection of Mathematics and AI Follow Lauren Williams on Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/laurenkwilliams42/ ) Website ( https://people.math.harvard.edu/~williams/ ) Follow Breaking Math on Substack ( https://breakingmath.substack.com/ ) Twitter ( https://x.com/breakingmathpod ) Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/breakingmathmedia/ ) Bluesky ( https://bsky.app/profile/breakingmath.bsky.social ) Website ( https://www.breakingmath.io/ ) YouTube ( https://www.youtube.com/@BreakingMathPod ) Follow Noah on Insta…","meta_description":"In this episode, Lauren Williams, professor of mathematics at Harvard University and a 2025 MacArthur Fellow, speaks about the surprising and often messy…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1546,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/breaking-math-podcast-325661/episodes/disappearing-grants-genius-grants-and-the-ai-proofs-with-lauren-k-williams/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-math-podcast-325661/disappearing-grants-genius-grants-and-the-ai-proofs-with-lauren-k-williams.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}