I previously set the deadline to be 6 November (yesterday), but since I inadvertently forgot to send out a reminder about the deadline, I'm going to continue accepting nominations over the weekend. Nominations in my inbox by *Sunday 9 November* (anywhere on Earth) will be considered. Thanks Simon On Thu, 16 Oct 2025 at 15:04, Simon Marlow <marlowsd@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Haskellers,
The GHC Steering Committee is seeking nominations for new members.
*To nominate yourself *please send an email to Simon Marlow <marlowsd@gmail.com> <marlowsd@gmail.com>, briefly summarising your background and relevant experience. See below for details on what committee membership involves, and what kind of experience would be useful.
DEADLINE: 6 November 2025
*What's the GHC steering committee?*
The committee scrutinizes, debates and eventually decides to accept or reject proposals to change the language or major features supported by GHC. Our processes are described in the GitHub repository <https://github.com/ghc-proposals/ghc-proposals> where proposals are submitted. In particular, please have a look at the Committee bylaws <https://github.com/ghc-proposals/ghc-proposals/blob/master/committee.rst> .
*Who are we looking for?*
We are looking for members who have the ability to:
- understand GHC proposals (e.g. for new language extensions), - find holes and missing corner cases in the specifications, - foresee the interaction with other language or compiler features, - comment constructively and improve proposals through engagement with others, - judge the cost/benefit ratio of changes, and - come to a justifiable conclusion.
Ideally, committee members should:
- have substantial experience of writing or teaching Haskell; - have a track record of active contributions to the Haskell community; or - have expertise in language design and implementation, in either Haskell or related languages.
It is our aim that this committee be diverse; by representing different viewpoints, we will make decisions that benefit larger segments of our community. Even if you are uncertain whether your background qualifies you for the role, you are warmly encouraged to apply.
The committee's work requires a small, but non-trivial amount of time, especially when you are assigned a proposal for shepherding. We estimate the workload to be around 2 hours per week, and our process works best if members usually respond to technical emails within 1-2 weeks (within days is even better). Please keep that in mind if your email inbox is already overflowing.
Committee members serve for 3 years, but are free to re-nominate themselves when their 3-year term expires.
Self-nominations are the norm. You can nominate someone else, but please obtain their explicit consent to do so. (We don't want to choose someone who turns out to be unable to serve.)
*What happens after nominations?*
In accordance with our Committee bylaws <https://github.com/ghc-proposals/ghc-proposals/blob/master/committee.rst>, the committee deliberates nominations *in private* before communicating the decision.
The committee doesn't have a fixed size, although we like to have a minimum of 9 members. There are currently two members rotating off, but as the committee currently has 10 members, we will be looking to appoint at least one but possibly (hopefully!) more.
On behalf of the committee,
Simon Marlow