[Python-Dev] Ph.D. dissertation ideas?

[Brett Cannon]

It is time once again in my educational career to come to python-dev
for help for major project ideas.  This time, though, it is for my
Ph.D. dissertation (and thus can have larger scope than my masters
thesis) but there are funding restrictions (and thus only certain
areas I have possible funding for).

First off, there are two areas where I have possible funding: XML
integration into programming languages and game scripting support (I
have a third, AOP for anything, but  I don't think AOP is a good match
for Python and thus not considering it for Python work).  The XML
integration I have no direct ideas since I don't use XML.  There is
the possibility of doing something like the LINQ project
(http://msdn.microsoft.com/netframework/future/linq/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/dndotnet/html/linqprojectovw.asp)
or something, but I don't know how useful that could be.  It would
have to be just as generic, though, as the LINQ project in terms of
working with intefaces to be Pythonic so it might turn out to be more
about language support for querying data.

For the game scripting, trying out the active objects for Python is a
possibility (or something else that would help with concurrency). 
Since that could allow for agent objects to be more concurrent it can
be argued that it would help with game scripting.  I don't have any
other ideas for the area of game scripting support.

Now I am not locked down to these areas, but they are what I have
possible grant money for.  If through some miracle someone out there
wants to fund my Ph.D. and wants something else worked on for Python,
don't be shy.  =)  Unfortunately I don't think the PSF is up for
funding my Ph.D., else I would say I would work on whatever python-dev
decided they wanted to worked on that could be done as a dissertation.

Anyway, any ideas are appreciated.  There is no rush on this, either. 
Just getting this out there now while I am tentatively exploring
possible topics.

-Brett