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Universities with an Outstanding Mathematics Faculty

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Rutgers University, School of Arts & Sciences

Established in 1766, The State University of New Jersey is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the U.S. Chartered as Queen’s College, it was renamed Rutgers College in 1825 to honor the Revolutionary War colonel and benefactor, Henry Rutgers.

The mission of the school includes three main goals: providing for the educational needs of the citizens of New Jersey (undergraduate, graduate, continuing ed); contributing to the social, cultural, environmental and medical well-being of the state and supporting its economy through innovative research; and carrying out public service to support citizens and government entities (local, county, state). The flagship of the University, Rutgers-New Brunswick, was recognized as one of the top schools for mathematics by U.S. News & World Report, tied at #22 with Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, and University of Maryland–College Park.

Dr. Sagun Chanillo is a distinguished professor of mathematics at Rutgers University. He currently teaches honors calculus and has published extensively in a variety of academic journals.

Dr. Chanillo’s research focuses on classical analysis and partial differential equations. He was elected as a 2017 fellow of the American Mathematical Society for his contributions to partial differential equations and geometric analysis. Before joining Rutgers, Dr. Chanillo held teaching positions at Indiana University, Purdue University, and Ohio State University.

Dr. Chanillo holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in India, as well as a doctorate from Purdue University.

Dr. Henryk Iwaniec has been teaching and conducting research at Rutgers since 1987 as a member of the graduate faculty in mathematics.

Before moving to the U.S. in 1983, Dr. Iwaniec worked for the Mathematics Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He spent his early years in the U.S. at Princeton University’s Institute for Advanced Study (AIS), which he described as “being in paradise to have free time to think of mathematics.”

Professor Iwaniec enjoys collaborating with other mathematicians. Among his many collaborators are John Friedlander and Peter Sarnak, with whom he has worked on aspects of the theory of prime numbers and the Riemann hypothesis. Dr. Iwaniec’s research focuses on what he calls his “beloved subject:” analytic number theory. In 2017, Henryk Iwaniec and John Friedlander were awarded the Joseph L. Doob Prize by the American Mathematical Society (AMS) for their book, “Opera de Cribro,” on the study and application of sieves in number theory.

Dr. Iwaniec holds a master’s and a doctoral degree from the University of Warsaw in Poland.

Dr. Joel Lebowitz, the George William Hill professor of mathematics and physics, has been the director of the Center for Mathematical Sciences Research at Rutgers since 1977.

He has served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Statistical Physics since 1975. He is also co-editor and an editorial board member of a dozen other academic publications. Dr. Lebowitz’s research areas are mathematical physics and statistical mechanics. He teaches equilibrium statistical mechanics and rigorous results in statistical mechanics II: nonequilibrium.

Born in Czechoslovakia, Dr. Lebowitz is also a human rights activist, who has advocated for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Dr. Lebowitz holds a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College, a master’s and doctorate from Syracuse University, and a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship from Yale University.

Dr. Doron Zeilberger is the board of governors professor of mathematics at Rutgers University. He currently teaches linear optimization and experimental mathematics and is a former recipient of the AMS Steele Prize.

Dr. Zeilberger is an Israeli-American mathematician with significant credit to his name for his contributions to hypergeometric summation and q-Series. Techniques derived from his work have been widely used in modern computer algebra software. He was awarded the 2016 AMS David P. Robbins Prize along with Manuel Kauers and Christoph Koutschan for their paper, “Proof of George Andrews’s and David Robbins’s q-TSPP conjecture,” which deals with plane partitions in the combinatorics branch of mathematics.

Dr. Zeilberger earned his doctorate from the Weizmann Institute of Science, outside of Tel Aviv, Israel.

University of Maryland–College Park, College of Computer, Mathematical & Natural Sciences

The University of Maryland–College Park began as the state’s land-grant educational institution, the Maryland Agricultural College in 1856. With an economic impact of over three billion dollars annually, UMD continues to uphold the ideals of its mission of service to the state. Other testaments to this are the 200 businesses started through UMD’s agriculture law education initiative, the health advocates in-reach and research project, the Capital News Service, and the new Center for Early Childhood Education and Intervention.

The nation’s first “Do Good” campus, UMD–College Park is also home of the Do Good Institute dedicated to social entrepreneurship. Hosting the “do good challenge,” the institute aims to inspire students to make the greatest impact possible for an issue of importance to the local or global community.

Dr. John Benedetto is director of the Norbert Wiener Center for Harmonic Analysis and Applications and a professor of mathematics at UMD–College Park.

He was named a distinguished scholar by the University of Maryland and has directed nearly 60 PhD students. In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Benedetto has mentored over one hundred doctoral and master’s students throughout his career. He is the series editor of the “Applied and Numerical Harmonic Analysis” book series and executive editor and founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of Fourier Analysis and Applications, both by Birkhauser. He teaches harmonic analysis and selected topics in analysis, frames, sampling, and wavelets.

Dr. Benedetto holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston College, a master’s from Harvard University, and a doctorate from the University of Toronto.

Dr. Maria K. Cameron has been an associate professor of mathematics at UMD–College Park since 2010. Professor Cameron’s research is dedicated to the use of numerical methods in solving mathematical problems in the natural sciences, such as biology, chemical physics, geophysics.

Dr. Cameron teaches the special topic graduate course, as well as stochastic methods with applications. Her research is funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) career grant. Dr. Cameron is a past recipient of the University of California, Berkeley Friedman Memorial Prize for applied mathematics and is a frequent speaker at mathematics meetings, workshops, and conference events.

Dr. Cameron earned her master’s degree from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and her doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley.

Rice University

The William Marsh Rice University, commonly known as Rice University, was chartered by the man of the same name as a gift to the city of Houston. Hailing from Massachusetts, Rice made his fortune there. The terms of the charter were such that work on the new educational establishment could not begin until Rice’s passing. Little did he know, that would only be nine years later when he was poisoned to death by two people conspiring to claim his estate with a forged will. The pair were not successful, and the Rice Institute opened in 1912, on the anniversary of William Rice’s death. The first degrees were awarded four years later: 35 bachelor’s and one master’s. The first doctorate was awarded to Hubert Bray in 1918 in the discipline of mathematics.

Dr. Shelly Harvey is a professor of mathematics and the graduate chair at Rice University.

Dr. Harvey’s research interests include low-dimensional topology, group theory, and non-communicative algebra. She is currently teaching algebraic topology and topics in topology: L invariants in topology and geometry. She was also part of the inaugural class of fellows of the American Mathematical Society in 2012 and is currently the principal investigator of a National Science Foundation Grant researching knot concordance and metric spaces. She has been an invited speaker at close to one hundred mathematics events around the world and is a Rice Ally in support of the LGBTQ community at Rice and beyond.

Dr. Harvey earned her doctorate from Rice University and her bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly Tech, San Luis Obispo, both in mathematics.

Dr. Jo Nelson is an assistant professor of mathematics and teaches calculus III, geometric topology, and differential geometry of curves and surfaces.

Before joining the mathematics staff at Rice in 2018, Dr. Nelson spent two years at Barnard College of Columbia University as an NSF postdoctoral fellow and two years at the Institute for Advanced Study. In collaboration with her mathematics colleague Dr. Allison Miller, Dr. Nelson founded the “Horizons in Mathematics” colloquium series to bring accomplished mathematicians from traditionally underrepresented groups to speak at the university. She is also the founder and coordinator of a mentoring program that pairs undergraduate and graduate math students with prospective math majors to foster a community for women and minority students at Rice. Her research is in the areas of symplectic and contact geometry and topology, singular theory and their interactions, among others.

Dr. Nelson holds a master’s and a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a bachelor’s from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

Associate professor Dr. Anthony Várilly-Alvarado has been honored with multiple awards for teaching excellence. He currently teaches abstract algebra III and is a part of the algebraic geometry and number theory seminar.

He received the George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching from Rice University in 2018 and 2016, the Nikki Kose Memorial Teaching Prize from UC Berkeley in 2009, and the Derek Bok Center Certificate of Distinction in Teaching from Harvard University (four-time recipient), among others.

Dr. Várilly-Alvarado was also selected for a three-year term as a faculty fellow with the Center for Teaching Excellence at Rice in 2017. He has held visiting positions in Canada, Switzerland, and France. His research interests are in the areas of Algebraic geometry, higher-dimensional arithmetic algebraic geometry, and Brauer-Manin obstructions.

Dr. Várilly-Alvarado earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and his doctorate from UC Berkeley.

Dr. Stephen Wang joined the mathematics faculty at Rice University in 2015 after teaching at Harvard University, the University of Chicago, Haverford College, Bucknell, and MIT.

Dr. Wang currently teaches linear single variable calculus II, linear algebra, and a graduate teaching seminar. He is also the calculus coordinator for the mathematics department at Rice and has earned recognition for his skill as an educator through awards from Harvard and the University of Chicago. Dr. Wang’s research interests focus on geometry and math education. He is also the faculty sponsor for Rice University’s women’s ultimate Frisbee team, Torque, division three champions in 2014 and 2015.

Dr. Wang has a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Chicago in 2006, specializing in geometry.

Washington University in St. Louis

A private university founded in 1853, Washington University in St. Louis was ranked #19 in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 best national universities list. Washington University in St. Louis counts several notable schools, including the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, and the Olin Business School. The campus is also home to the distinguished Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, housing works from Jackson Pollock and Picasso, and the top-ranked Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

The school boasts a student-faculty ratio of eight-to-one and an average freshman retention rate of 97 percent. The Department of Mathematics and Statistics is divided into five categories of research: applied mathematics, statistics, algebra and combinatorics, analysis, and geometry and topology. The Department’s chapter of the Association for Women in Mathematics hosts regular events to support and connect women in the field, and a new joint major in mathematics and computer science was recently launched.

Dr. Renato Feres has been a member of the mathematics faculty at Washington University for more than 20 years.

His research interests include stochastic dynamics, differential geometry, and information geometry; he is currently teaching mathematics of quantum theory. He has published extensively, has taught courses on many different aspects of the discipline, and has been an invited speaker at dozens of conferences and meetings throughout his career. Dr. Feres has also served on the editorial board of the academic journal Discrete and Continuous Dynamical Systems since 2005.

Dr. Feres has a doctorate in mathematics from the California Institute of Technology, as well as a bachelor’s in physics and a master’s in mathematics from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil.

Dr. Steven G. Krantz has been a professor at Washington University since 1986. He currently teaches differential equations.

Dr. Krantz has made enormous contributions to the body of scholarly work in mathematics with 165 articles and 60 books to his name. He is also the editor-in-chief of the journal Complex Analysis and its Synergies. He has been honored with many awards, such as the Beckenbach Book Award, the Chauvenet Prize, and the University of California, Los Angeles Alumni Foundation Distinguished Teaching Award. His research interests include geometric analysis and several complex variables.

Dr. Krantz holds a doctorate in mathematics from Princeton University and a bachelor’s from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Dr. John E. McCarthy is the Spencer T. Olin professor of mathematics and the chair of mathematics and statistics at Washington University in St. Louis. He currently teaches courses in dynamics and chaos.

His primary research interests are in operator theory and complex variables. He enjoys interacting with scientists who are open to the idea that pure mathematics can bring valuable perspectives to science. Also a member of the neuroscience department, Dr. McCarthy can put this belief into practice, exploring how mathematical techniques can be used to deepen understanding of the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. McCarthy was honored with the Robinson Award from the Canadian Mathematical Society and the Guido L. Weiss Teaching and Service Award from Washington University in 2016. He is the author/co-author of six books and dozens of academic articles. He is currently funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation for his work in operator theory and applications.

Dr. McCarthy holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in mathematics and mathematical sciences from Trinity College of Dublin University, and a doctorate from UC Berkeley.

University of Notre Dame, College of Science

The University of Notre Dame du Lac was founded in 1842 by 28-year-old Reverand Edward F. Sorin. Father Sorin’s vision was to establish “a great Catholic university in America … one of the most powerful means for doing good in this country.” The University’s commitments to diversity, sustainability, and accessibility pay tribute to Father Sorin’s ideals.

Though Notre Dame welcomes students of all faiths (as well as those that claim no attachment to faith at all), one of the ways that faith is said to be infused into the student experience is through service. The Center for Social Concerns offers a minor in poverty studies and Catholic social tradition as well as courses and programs such as advocacy education, engaged public scholarship, and Spanish community-based learning.

Associate professor Dr. David Galvin teaches the introduction to probability and honors calculus at Notre Dame.

He was previously a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, a member of the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton, and a postdoctoral researcher at Microsoft. Dr. Galvin’s main research interests lie in the areas of discrete probability, combinatorics, and graph theory. He has participated in numerous colloquia and been an invited speaker at dozens of seminars and conferences. Dr. Galvin is the recipient of the Father James L. Shilts and Doris and Gene Leonard Teaching Award from the Notre Dame in 2016 and represented Ireland at the International Mathematical Olympiad in 1990.

Dr. Galvin has a doctoral degree from Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cambridge, both in mathematics.

Dr. Claudia Polini is a Glynn Family Honors Collegiate professor and joined the Notre Dame mathematics faculty in 2001.

Her research areas of focus include commutative algebra and its interactions with algebraic geometry with a particular interest in the theory of linkage and residual intersections, blow-up algebras, and objects associated to an ideal. Her research is currently funded through an NSA grant.

Dr. Polini is a fellow of the American Mathematical Society and she served as a referee for dozens of academic papers. She has been an invited speaker at a multitude of conferences and events throughout her academic career. She has also been the faculty advisor for the Notre Dame chapter of the Association of Women in Mathematics since 2008.

Dr. Polini holds a bachelor’s degree from the Università Degli Studi di Padova in Italy and a doctoral degree from Rutgers University.

Dr. Andrew Putman is a professor of mathematics and the primary investigator on an NSF grant to study topology and group theory. He teaches courses in topology, algebra, geometry, calculus, and other topics.

Dr. Putman has been an invited speaker at over one hundred conferences and events and has refereed for a variety of academic journals including the Journal of the American Math Society. He has held teaching positions at MIT, Rice University, and the University of Chicago. He was honored with induction as a fellow to the American Mathematical Society (AMS) in 2018 and invited to give the plenary address at the AMS Fall Central Sectional Meeting the same year.

Dr. Putman has a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Rice University.

Methodology

www.onlineengineeringprograms.com used the following criteria to select healthcare administration schools for this list:

  • Accreditation: All colleges in this list have been accredited by associations approved by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
  • Awards and Recognition: These schools frequently appear among the top 20 universities in the country according to U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and other respected ranking organizations.
  • Faculty: All universities have a renowned faculty who have published extensively and have received noteworthy accolades and research grants.
  • Student Opportunities and Support: All of these schools let students learn about mathematics through hands-on research opportunities and/or mentorship.

www.onlineengineeringprograms.com used the following criteria in choosing mathematicians to include in this list:

  • University Affiliation: These professors are all actively teaching and associated with mathematics programs at accredited universities in the U.S.
  • Publication: The individuals featured in this article have been widely published in peer-reviewed scholarly journals. Publishing is a primary consideration when evaluating the credentials of notable professors.
  • Institutional and Peer Recognition: Individuals included on this list have been recognized as being the top in their fields through research grants, teaching awards and honors, publishing, and service.
  • Professional Commitment: These mathematics experts have also contributed to the field outside of their teaching obligations. They serve as program directors or deans, editors, board members, leaders, and/or community volunteers.