Cambridge · Part III · October 2026
Will Lancer
I study theoretical high-energy physics and AI alignment.
Cambridge at night.
About me
I graduated summa cum laude in physics & mathematics from Stony Brook University in 2026. I'm a Goldwater Scholar, did research at the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics under Zohar Komargodski, and am at Cambridge in the Fall for my master's in theoretical physics.
I am obsessively interested in quantum field theory and AI alignment. I also deeply enjoy pure mathematics, religious philosophy, and moral philosophy.
About Me
Academics and Interests
I graduated summa cum laude in three years from Stony Brook University. My degree was in physics & mathematics. I'm at Cambridge this Fall to pursue my master's in theoretical physics.
My main interests in physics can broadly be categorized as quantum field theory and string theory. Specifically, the three main questions I'm interested in are: how QFT works in curved spacetime, how Wilsonian RG works in Lorentzian spacetimes, and what the fundamental physical and mathematical principles of string theory are. These interests have led me to the ideas of cosmology, string field theory, and BFSS matrix theory, which I'm learning more about now. I think AI-led research will solve all of these problems within 3-5 years. While I mourn the end of the era of human discovery in physics, I'm excited to see what new ideas get revealed.
I also enjoy pure mathematics. I'm mainly interested in differential and algebraic geometry. Specifically, I'd like to one day be able to read the proof of the Geometric Langlands conjecture, as well as Perelman's proof of the Poincaré conjecture.
My final interest—and future career path—is AI alignment. Aligning artificial general intelligence is the most important work anyone on the planet can be doing right now, and there are astonishingly few people doing it. I intend to be one of them. In my opinion, by far the most important idea here is that of automated alignment research—that is, how to get useful alignment research out of AIs. This clearly needs to occur and there is shockingly few people directly working on it. I'd prefer pausing, but pragmatically I think this will not happen for long enough (if at all) to solve alignment with only human effort. Thus, automated alignment research is needed, and I intend to be at the forefront of this effort.
Research interests
Physics
- Q
- F
- T
- and strings
Math
- Differential geometry
- Algebraic geometry
AI safety
- Automated alignment
- AI control
- Mechanistic interpretability
What I'm Doing Now
Current Affairs
A short list of what I'm currently doing and thinking about.
Physics
- Relearning various subjects at Cambridge, e.g. QFT, GR, SFT, group theory for physics, etc.
AI safety
- Upskilling to be able to make automated alignment RL environments
Math and Philosophy
- Differential geometry
- Algebraic geometry
- Nothing at the moment—I've been thinking more about the problem of evil as of late, though
Does This Guy Have a Life?
Hobbies
Outside of academics, I enjoy:
- Lifting weights
- Brazilian jiu-jitsu
- Reading
- Listening to podcasts
- Watching debates
- Writing
- Talking with my girlfriend
CV
Curriculum Vitae
Download my resume as a PDF for applications and emails. Or for funsies. (PDF).
Contact
Get in touch
Academic email (expiring in late 2027): wml35@cam.ac.uk
Personal email: will.m.lancer@gmail.com