Spotlight
Prof. Jared Speck featured in WIRED
Oct. 5, 2026—Professor Jared Speck was featured in a recent WIRED article examining the impact of artificial intelligence on mathematical discovery. The article explores how AI systems are beginning to solve challenging mathematical problems and the resulting discussion within the mathematical community about creativity, understanding, and the future of research. Speck contributed insights on mathematicians’ enduring interest...
Prof. Disconzi awarded the Elliott–Yui Distinguished Visitorship
Oct. 1, 2026—Please join us in congratulating Prof. Marcelo Disconzi on being named to the prestigious Elliott–Yui Distinguished Visitorship at the Fields Institute, following nomination and selection by the Institute’s Directors in consultation with its Scientific Advisory Panel. Some visible mathematicians that were awarded this fellowship include Eberhard Kirchberg, Bo’az Klartag, and Michael Lacey (all ICM speakers)....
Prof. Speck Awarded Chancellor’s Research Award
Sep. 9, 2026—At the 2026 Fall Faculty Assembly, Prof. Jared Speck was awarded a Chancellor‘s Research Award. This is one of the highest honors that the University can bestow for research. The award recognizes the paper “Stable big bang formation for Einstein’s equations: the complete sub-critical regime,” written with Grigorios Fournodavlos (U Crete) and Igor Rodnianski (Princeton),...
Prof. Disconzi Awarded Chancellor’s Research Award
Apr. 23, 2026—Prof. Marcelo Disconzi was awarded a Chancellor‘s Research Award at the 2025 Fall Faculty Assembly. This is one of the highest honors that the University can bestow for research. From the A&S communications: Marcelo Disconzi, associate professor of mathematics, was nominated for his work presented in “First-Order General-Relativistic Viscous Fluid Dynamics,” published in the journal Physical Review X....
Department of Mathematics Welcomes Four New Assistant Professors
Apr. 9, 2026—The Department of Mathematics is thrilled to announce that four new Assistant Professors will join the department in 2026–27: Thomas Brazelton, Karen Butt, Sayan Das, and Gregory Patchell. These hires represent a new phase of growth for the department as we continue our expand our reach and impact. Their work covers the gamut from dynamics...
Prof. Brandt awarded Dean’s Faculty Fellowship
Mar. 20, 2026—Prof. Madeline Brandt, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics, has recently been awarded a Dean’s Faculty Fellowship from the Dean of the College of Arts & Science, Tim McNamara. Prof. Brandt’s research is in combinatorial algebraic geometry. In other words, she uses combinatorial tools – such as graphs – to study shapes defined by...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Anna Marie Bohmann named Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow
Jun. 12, 2024—We are delighted to share the news that Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Anna Marie Bohmann, was named as a 2024 Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow. This is a highly prestigious award that comes with a $40K research fund. This year only 13 faculty were chosen from across the university. You can read the official...
Margalit awarded 2024 Steele Prize for Mathematical Exposition
Nov. 28, 2023—The American Mathematical Society has awarded Dan Margalit, Stevenson Chair in Mathematics, and Benson Farb (Univeristy of Chicago), the 2024 Steele Prize for Mathematical Exposition. The award is in recognition of their book, A Primer on Mapping Class Groups, published by Princeton University Press in 2012. The Steele Prize for Mathematical Exposition is given annually...