Practical Applications of Category Theory in Industry - A Retrospective

Industrial Problems Seminar

Patrick Campbell
Sabey Corporation

Abstract

Since completing my Ph.D., I have worked as a software engineer, data scientist, and solutions/AI architect. Across these roles, I have repeatedly found both direct applications of category-theoretic ideas and more indirect value in category theory as a way of organizing complex engineering problems.

In this talk, I will look back at several projects from my career and discuss the role category theory played in each: from building a platform for healthcare data, to modeling patient trajectories and hospital processes, to developing a homegrown high-trust harness for agentic AI systems. Along the way, I will distinguish between cases where categorical machinery entered the solution directly and cases where categorical thinking primarily helped identify the right abstractions.