Jon Sterling

I am a doctoral student of Robert Harper at Carnegie Mellon University studying type theory, programming languages and semantics. Previously I received a B.A. in Linguistics from U.C. Berkeley. My other interests include category theory, topos theory, formalization of mathematics, Assyriology, and ancient languages and literature. Check out my new research blog!

Research

I study the syntax and semantics of type theory and programming languages through the lens of categorical algebra and topos theory, with an aim toward building better interactive proof assistants. I am interested in the design and metatheory of program module calculi as in ML family languages.

My colleagues and I have developed the redtt and cooltt proof assistants for Cartesian cubical type theory.

Recent News

Aug. 2020	thesis proposal presented and accepted
Jul. 2019	received ICFP '19 Distinguished Paper Award
Jun. 2019	received FSCD '19 Best Paper Award for Junior Researchers

Recent Drafts

Jan. 2021	Preprint Normalization for Cubical Type Theory J. Sterling, C. Angiuli. latest version
Dec. 2020	Preprint Syntactic categories for dependent type theory: sketching and adequacy D. Gratzer, J. Sterling. arXiv preprint, latest version
Jul. 2020	Preprint Logical Relations as Types: Proof-Relevant Parametricity for Program Modules J. Sterling, R. Harper. arXiv preprint, latest version
Feb. 2020	Preprint A Cubical Language for Bishop Sets J. Sterling, C. Angiuli, and D. Gratzer. arXiv preprint latest version

Publications

JFP	To appear Higher-Order Functions and Brouwer's Thesis Journal of Functional Programming, essays in honor of Robert Harper, to appear, 2020. arXiv preprint, latest version, Agda formalization
ICFP '19	Implementing a Modal Dependent Type Theory. D. Gratzer, J. Sterling, and L. Birkedal. International Conference on Functional Programming (ICFP), 2019. Distinguished Paper Award. ACM DL, preprint, technical report, implementation, citation
FSCD '19	Cubical Syntax for Reflection-Free Extensional Equality. J. Sterling, C. Angiuli, and D. Gratzer. International Conference on Formal Structures for Computation and Deduction (FSCD), 2019. Best Paper Award For Junior Researchers. DROPS, extended version (arXiv), slides, citation
LFMTP '18	The RedPRL Proof Assistant. C. Angiuli, E. Cavallo, K. Hou (Favonia), R. Harper, and J. Sterling. International Workshop on Logical Frameworks and Meta-Languages: Theory and Practice (LFMTP), 2018. Invited Paper EPTCS, citation
LICS '18	Guarded Computational Type Theory. J. Sterling, R. Harper. Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM/IEEE Symposium on Logic in Computer Science (LICS '18). ACM DL, short preprint, long preprint (arXiv), slides, citation
Apr. 2016	Dependent Types for Pragmatics. D. McAdams, J. Sterling. Redmond J., Pombo Martins O., Nepomuceno Fernández Á. (eds) Epistemology, Knowledge and the Impact of Interaction. Logic, Epistemology, and the Unity of Science, vol 38. Springer, Cham. SpringerLink, citation

Selected Talks

(Conference talks listed with publications.)

Aug. 2020	Objective Metatheory of (Cubical) Type Theories Thesis Proposal
Jun. 2020	redtt and the future of Cartesian cubical type theory. Every Proof Assistant Video
Mar. 2020	Objective Metatheory of Dependent Type Theories. HoTTEST Slides, Video
Mar. 2020	(Cubical) Computability Structures. MURI Grant Meeting
Jan. 2020	Gluing Models of Type Theory Along Flat Functors. J. Sterling and C. Angiuli CMU HoTT Seminar.
HoTT '19	Cubical Exact Equality and Categorical Gluing. J. Sterling, C. Angiuli, and D. Gratzer. International Conference on Homotopy Type Theory, 2019.
TYPES '19	XTT: Cubical Syntax for Extensional Equality (without equality reflection). J. Sterling, C. Angiuli, and D. Gratzer. TYPES, 2019.
Apr. 2019	Algebraic Type Theory and the Gluing Construction. CMU HoTT Seminar.
Aug. 2018	redtt: implementing cartesian cubical type theory. C. Angiuli, E. Cavallo, Favonia, R. Harper, A. Mőrtberg, and J. Sterling. Dagstuhl Seminar 18341: Formalization of Mathematics in Type Theory.

Lectures and Research Notes

Oct. 2020	Notes A Synthetic Realignment Theorem latest version
Apr. 2020	Notes An OK Version of Type Theory latest version
Feb. 2020	Notes Connectives in Semantics of Type Theory latest version
Fall 2017	Lecture Substructural Deduction Guest lecture for Constructive Logic (15-317) at CMU. lecture notes
Fall 2017	Lecture Implementing Inference Rules in Standard ML Tutorial for Constructive Logic (15-317) as CMU. lecture notes

Teaching

Fall 2018	TA for Constructive Logic (15-317) with Karl Crary.
Fall 2017	TA for Constructive Logic (15-317) with Frank Pfenning.

Academic Service

I have served as an external reviewer or subreviewer for CSL (2021), ESOP (2021), FSCD (2019, 2020), FoSSaCS (2021), LICS (2017); and as a referee for MSCS.

Awards and Honors

2019	ICFP '19 Distinguished Paper Award
2019	FSCD '19 Best Paper Award for Junior Researchers
2011	W.K. Pritchett Prize in Elementary Greek, UC Berkeley

Other Activities

Together with my co-hosts David Christiansen and Darin Morrison, I helped create The Type Theory Podcast.