Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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Jonathan Chaika, von Neumann Fellow in the School of Mathematics (2025–26), introduces ergodic theory, a field where IAS has long been at the global forefront. Continuing this pioneering legacy, Chaika explains how closed systems evolve over time—whether they mix, wander, or get stuck—by studying the measures that remain constant.

Institute Instances is a collection of 1–2 minute video snapshots of scholars, administrators, and visitors to the Institute for Advanced Study answering a question (or two) about their work at IAS. Viewed individually, these clips allow audiences to get to know the people who are, in the words of founding IAS Director Abraham Flexner, "pushing beyond the present limits of human knowledge" through advancements in science and the humanities. Taken together, these "instances" of Institute life are designed to show how everyone can play a role in actualizing discovery, and to celebrate a community devoted to excellence in scholarship.

Find out more about Institute Instances: https://www.ias.edu/institute-instances