Researcher - Lean 4 & Formal Proof Systems

What You'll Do

• Translate informal mathematical proofs into precise, machine-verifiable formalizations in Lean 4 (and related proof systems)
• Analyze proofs across domains — algebra, analysis, topology, logic, discrete math — identifying gaps, hidden assumptions, and formalizable sub-structures
• Create formalizations that test the limits of existing proof assistants, especially where automation breaks down
• Collaborate with researchers to design, refine, and evaluate formal verification strategies
• Develop readable, reproducible proof scripts aligned with mathematical best practices and proof assistant idioms
• Provide guidance on proof decomposition, lemma selection, and structuring techniques
• Investigate where automated provers fail — and articulate precisely why

Who You Are

• Hold a Master's degree or higher in Mathematics, Logic, Theoretical Computer Science, or a closely related field
• Strong foundation in rigorous proof construction across one or more core mathematical domains
• Hands-on experience with Lean (Lean 3 or Lean 4), Coq, Isabelle/HOL, Agda, or a comparable proof assistant — Lean strongly preferred
• Genuinely enthusiastic about formal verification, proof assistants, and the future of mechanized mathematics
• Able to take a dense, informal argument and express it in a form a machine can verify — without losing what makes the proof elegant

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with type theory, the Curry-Howard correspondence, and proof automation tools
• Experience contributing to large-scale formalization projects such as Mathlib
• Exposure to theorem provers where automated reasoning frequently requires manual scaffolding
• Prior experience with data annotation, data quality, or evaluation systems
• Strong communication skills for explaining formalization decisions, edge cases, and proof strategies