News
Lorenzo Gavassino receives 2026 George E. Valley Jr. Prize from APS
Nov. 12, 2025—Lorenzo Gavassino, who was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Mathematics from 2022 to 2025, was recently announced by the American Physical Society as the 2026 recipient of the George E. Valley Jr. Prize. According to the APS web site, the award is given to recognize an early-career individual for an outstanding scientific contribution...
Prof. Alex Lupsasca begins research with OpenAI for Science
Nov. 2, 2025—Congratulations to Alex Lupsasca, Assistant Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Vanderbilt University, who will be joining the OpenAI for Science initiative! In addition to his current research at Vanderbilt, he will be working with OpenAI to explore its potential to assist in solving research-level problems in astrophysics. You can find more details about his...
Faculty Spotlight: Professor Glenn Webb
Sep. 16, 2025—Centennial Professor Glen Webb, a leading expert on the mathematics of epidemiology, is the recipient of a National Science Foundation grant, which funds an interdisciplinary research project on epdiemic disease modeling. Under this grant, Prof. Webb is collaborating with Prof. Nicole Creanza from the Vanderbilt University Department of Biology. Together they are developing mathematical models...
Prof. Alex Lupsasca appears in Discover magazine
Aug. 31, 2025—Alex Lupsasca, Assistant Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Vanderbilt University, was recently asked by Discover magazine to share his thoughts on wormholes: hypothetical structures that could bridge two points across space and time. In the article, he discusses their purely (at this point) theoretical nature, their potential resemblance to black holes, and their relation...
Nashville Math Circle returns for 2025
Aug. 31, 2025—This school year, the Vanderbilt University Department of Mathematics is delighted to continue its tradition of encouraging young math minds at the Nashville Math Circle. This biweekly program provides Nashville-area students in grades 7-12 the opportunity to develop creative mathematical problem-solving skills in a friendly and engaging environment. Past Math Circle sessions have investigated questions...
Prof. Saff publishes Matrix Fundamentals
Aug. 12, 2025—Prof. Ed Saff and Arthur Snider (University of South Florida) have published a linear algebra textbook called Matrix Fundamentals: From Equation Processing to Signal Processing. This is an introductory text, suitable for STEM majors. The book is published by Springer, and its official page is here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-97222-5 From the web site: Matrix Fundamentals introduces tools for...
Junhwi Lim receives Provost Pathbreaking Discovery Award and Vanderbilt Award for Doctoral Discovery
Aug. 6, 2025—Junhwi Lim, a PhD student in the Vanderbilt Mathematics Department, has received the Provost Pathbreaking Discovery Award, as well as Vanderbilt Award for Doctoral Discovery. Junhwi is a fifth-year graduate student who has been working under the direction of Prof. Dietmar Bisch since 2021. He has proved several first-rate results in the theory of subfactors...
Prof. Marcelo Disconzi Lectures at Dyer Observatory
Jul. 17, 2025—Prof. Marcelo Disconzi gave a Meet the Astronomer lecture at the Dyer Observatory on July 17, 2025. The title of his lecture was “The Meaning of Einstein’s Equations.” The audience ranged widely in terms of age, background, and interests. Disconzi dazzled, giving something for everybody. Besides explaining the main ideas behind Einstein’s equations, he talked...
John Jumper BS Math ’07 wins Nobel Prize
Jul. 16, 2025—John Jumper, who received a BS degree in Mathematics and Physics from Vanderbilt in 2007, has won a share of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Jumper works as American Director at Google DeepMind Technologies. His team created the AI model AlphaFold, which predicts protein structures from their amino acid sequence. About his work Jumper...
Renée Galá B.S. Math ’94 named CEO of Jazz Pharmaceuticals
Jul. 16, 2025—Renée Galá, who received a B.S. in Mathematics from Vanderbilt in 1994, has been announced as the new CEO of Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Galá is one of a handful of women who lead a major pharmaceutical company. Before starting at Jazz, Galá held chief financial officer positions at Grail and Theravance. She also worked at Eli...
Department hosts International Constructive Functions 2025 Conference
Jul. 3, 2025—The Vanderbilt University Department of Mathematics hosted the international Constructive Functions 2025 which was held on the university campus May 19-22. The conference was in large part a recognition of the mathematical work of Distinguished Professor Edward Saff, as well as a celebration of his 80th birthday. The local organizers of the conference were Liudmyla...
Groups in Geometry, Algebra, and Logic held at Vanderbilt
Jun. 22, 2025—A new conference, Groups in Geometry, Algebra, and Logic, was held at Vanderbilt University during May 28 to June 1, 2025. The conference was organized by Professors Denis Osin, Spencer Dowdall, and Dan Margalit, along with Carolyn Abbott (Brandeis), Filippo Calderoni (Rutgers), and Adrian Ioana (UCSD). The conference featured five mini-courses by Katrin Tent (Münster),...
Bin Sun receives 2025 Kamil Duszenko Award
Jun. 22, 2025—Bin Sun has been named as the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Kamil Duszenko Award. Sun is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Michigan State University. He received his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt in 2019 under the direction of Prof. Denis Osin. The Kamil Duszenko award was established in memory of Kamil Duszenko, an outstanding young mathematician who...
Lorenzo Gavassino is Postdoc of the Year
Jun. 22, 2025—Dr. Lorenzo Gavassino was recently recognized as co-recipient of the 2025 Postdoc of the Year Award. This University-wide award was announced by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at the Spring Postdoc Awards Ceremony. According to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs: The Postdoc of the Year award recognizes a postdoctoral scholar who demonstrates excellence in research...
Shuxian Song repeats as Ping Pong Champion
Jun. 22, 2025—April 21, 2025 – For the second consecutive year, second year PhD student Shuxian Song captured the Department of Mathematics Ping Pong Championship. Song prevailed in the championship round in three straight games against Professor Akram Aldroubi. All three games were highly competitive. The crowd was treated to a breathtaking display of unbelievable volleys, ferocious...
Prof. Simonett receives Madison Sarratt Prize
Apr. 25, 2025—Prof. Gieri Simonett received the Madison Sarratt Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. This is a prestigious, and well-deserved, university-wide award. This is a major recognition for one of our cherished colleagues. As per the College of Arts and Science news release, Simonett has 30 years of experience teaching at Vanderbilt, working with students to...
Math Hosts First Annual Pi Your Professor Event
Mar. 25, 2025—On March 20, 2025, the Department of Mathematics hosted the first annual Pi Your Professor Event. This was a belated celebration of Pi Day, which is March 14 and generally falls over spring break. The format of Pi Your Professor is quite simple. Undergraduate students are welcome to come to Stevenson Center 1, grab a...
Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Akram Aldroubi’s Research Cited in Industry Patents
Mar. 25, 2025—Prof. Akram Aldroubi is a world-renowned expert in harmonic analysis, functional analysis, and signal processing. While his research is classified as theoretical mathematics, his work has had far-reaching implications in industry. His papers are referenced in several industry-owned patents, indicating that his work has had significant impact on real-world applications and has influenced the development...
Katherine Booth awarded NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship
Feb. 4, 2025—Katherine Booth was awarded a Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship from the National Science Foundation in February 2025. This is a highly prestigious award, given to about 40 mathematicians around the country each year. Katherine is a non-degree-seeking graduate student at Vanderbilt, and will receive her Ph.D. from Georgia Institute of Technology in Spring 2025. Katherine’s research...
Dr. Lorenzo Gavassino featured in Discover Magazine
Jan. 16, 2025—The research of Dr. Lorenzo Gavassino, postdoctoral researcher in the department, and member of the VandyGRAF initiative has recently been featured in Discover Magazine: https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/mathematician-reveals-strange-new-enigmas-for-time-travelers According to the article, Lorenzo’s article shows that “The laws of physics suggest [a time traveler’s] memory would be wiped clean as soon as they returned to the present.” Dr....
Prof. Marcelo Disconzi Speaks at Dyer Observatory
Dec. 2, 2024—Prof. Marcelo Disconzi gave a lecture at the Dyer Observatory on Nov 21, 2024. The title of his talk was: When Mathematics & Physics Collide: Black-Hole Mergers, Neutron Stars, and the Theory of Relativity. From Marcelo’s abstract: “In 1915, Einstein developed the general theory of relativity, a theory born out of what he called his...
Math Department Makes Chocolate Hot!
Nov. 24, 2024—On October 24, 2024, the Math Department hosted a Hot Chocolate and Hot Apple Cider extravaganza at the department. In the Stevenson 1 lobby, students were treated to tasty beverages, made hot to go! Students, faculty, and staff also participated in a design-your-own-pumpkin contest. The winner of the contest was Griffin Sims, and undergraduate who...
Prof. Marcelo Disconzi appears at Parnassus Bookstore
Nov. 24, 2024—Professor Marcelo Disconzi appeared at a meet-the-author event, discussing his book “I’m a Mathematician Now!” The event was held on October 21, 2024 at the Parnassus Bookstore in Green Hills, the flagship bookstore owned by famed author Ann Patchett. Prof. Disconzi appeared alongside Prof. Larisa DeSantis, Associate Professor in the Departments of Biological Sciences and...
Prof. Dan Margalit and Isaiah Williams ’25 Unravel Mysteries of Math
Nov. 17, 2024—A new video made by the College of Arts & Science communications team aims to answer some of the frequently searched questions about mathematics. Prof. Dan Margalit, Chair of Mathematics and Stevenson Chair, along with undergraduate Isaiah Williams, class of ’25 fielded questions and answered them in the madcap video made by Liz Chagnon. The...
Math Department Spurs Nashville SC to Victory
Sep. 20, 2024—On September 18, eighteen members of the Department of Mathematics got the royal treatment as special guests at the Chancellor’s Suite in Geodis Park. Home club Nashville SC defeated visiting Chicago Fire in a 1 to nil thriller. Nashville SC forward Sam Surridge scored on a header, which came off a long-distance cross from NSC...