Department of Mathematics – UW–Madison https://math.wisc.edu University of Wisconsin - Madison Mon, 02 Mar 2026 21:22:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Jordan Ellenberg to speak at Focus on the Humanities lecture https://math.wisc.edu/2026/03/02/jordan-ellenberg-to-speak-at-focus-on-the-humanities-lecture/ Mon, 02 Mar 2026 21:19:07 +0000 https://math.wisc.edu/?p=9185 Ellenberg Poster on talk for Virtue of Uncertainty.

Jordan Ellenberg will speak at a Focus on the Humanities lecture on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 5:00pm.  The lecture will be held in the Elvehjem Building, Room L140, 800 University Ave., Madison, WI.

Mathematics is often thought of as a source of certain knowledge, the domain in which we know precisely what things are and which statements are true. This can be reassuring for those of us (all of us) living in an uncertain world. But because we in fact live in an uncertain world, mathematics in this sense may have trouble getting purchase on problems we really care about. Real mathematical practice, both pure and applied, is full of fuzziness, approximation, metaphor, unclassifiability, and yes, uncertainty. In this Focus on the Humanities talk, Professor Jordan Ellenberg will try to convince you that, rather than using a false promise of mathematical precision to suppress uncertainty that makes us anxious, we should embrace uncertainty and use math as a tool for helping us think about it honestly.

Jordan Ellenberg is the John D. MacArthur Professor of Mathematics at UW-Madison. He is a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society and has held a Sloan Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Simons Fellowship. His research centers on number theory but touches on algebraic geometry, topology, combinatorics, and applications of machine learning. He is also a popularizer of mathematics, whose books How Not To Be Wrong and Shape were both New York Times bestsellers.

]]> Boyana Martinova receives Capstone Teaching Award https://math.wisc.edu/2026/03/02/boyana-martinova-receives-capstone-teaching-award/ Mon, 02 Mar 2026 19:40:35 +0000 https://math.wisc.edu/?p=9182 It is a great pleasure to announce that one of our graduate students earned a Campus-Wide TA Award by the Campus-Wide TA Award Committee for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Boyana Martinova was chosen for a Capstone Teaching Award, which recognizes TAs at the end of their graduate program with an outstanding teaching record over the course of their UW–Madison tenure.

Boyana was nominated by CTAPP in November, and earned this award in competition with TAs from all over campus. It is exceptionally deserved based on her long and highly successful track record as a teacher in our department. Boyana also earned the Campus-Wide Early Excellence Award in the 2022-2023 academic year, and multiple Math Department TA awards in the intervening years.

]]> Announcing the new Master of Science in Applied and Computational Mathematics https://math.wisc.edu/2026/02/25/announcing-the-new-master-of-science-in-applied-and-computational-mathematics/ Wed, 25 Feb 2026 22:30:02 +0000 https://math.wisc.edu/?p=9165 Applied MS
The MS in Applied and Computational Mathematics provides students with a rigorous, modern training in applied and computational mathematics and in the mathematics of data.  The program is targeted to students with an undergraduate degree in mathematics or other quantitative disciplines such as computer science, statistics, economics and engineering.
Through foundational and advanced coursework, students gain a strong combination of quantitative and computational skills as well as data fluency, positioning them for careers in industry or for advanced studies. Students can satisfy the 30-credit requirement in 12 to 24 months, with accelerated paths supported by relevant summer course offerings.
Graduates are well-prepared for roles in information technology, finance, engineering, research, and education – particularly within the rapidly growing sectors of machine learning and artificial intelligence – or to pursue a PhD in the mathematical, statistical, and computational sciences.
]]> Dallas Albritton and Paul Apisa selected as Sloan Fellows https://math.wisc.edu/2026/02/18/dallas-albritton-and-paul-apisa-selected-as-sloan-fellows/ Wed, 18 Feb 2026 17:50:31 +0000 https://math.wisc.edu/?p=9117 Congrats to Dallas Albritton and Paul Apisa!  They were selected as 2 of the 21 Sloan fellows in Mathematics for the US and Canada for 2026.  The award recognizes scholars who represent the most promising scientific researchers working today. Their achievements and potential place them among the next generation of scientific leaders in the U.S. and Canada.
https://sloan.org/fellowships/2026-Fellows
A great honor, and a wonderful outcome for our department!
]]> Qin Li named as Vilas Associate https://math.wisc.edu/2026/02/09/qin-li-named-as-vilas-associate/ Mon, 09 Feb 2026 19:55:21 +0000 https://math.wisc.edu/?p=8999 Qin Li was named as one of 24 faculty members to receive a Vilas Associate Award.  The competition recognizes “new and ongoing research of the highest quality and significance.” Tenure-track assistant professors and tenured faculty within 20 years of their tenure date are eligible.

2026-27 Vilas Associates Competition awardees announced | Research | UW–Madison

]]> Nan Chen granted “Reimaging Next Phase Research” award https://math.wisc.edu/2026/02/09/nan-chen-granted-reimaging-next-phase-research-award/ Mon, 09 Feb 2026 19:53:41 +0000 https://math.wisc.edu/?p=8996 Nan Chen recently received one of the new “Reimagining Next Phase Research” awards.  Growing from a need to diversify our research funding sources, the UW Foundation developed this new award to help smooth over interruptions from federal sources to help researchers continue to innovate.    Congratulations, Nan!

https://research.wisc.edu/reimagining-next-phase-research-initiative/

]]> Best Paper Winners Honored at ICCM https://math.wisc.edu/2026/01/22/best-paper-winners-honored-at-iccm/ Thu, 22 Jan 2026 21:48:52 +0000 https://math.wisc.edu/?p=8919 Two weeks ago, some of our UW Math alumni, postdocs, and faculty had their work honored at the International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians in Shanghai, China.
Qiao He (former postdoc and VISP student), Chao Li, Yousheng Shi (former postdoc), and Tonghai Yang (professor) won the Best Paper Gold Award in Number Theory for their paper “A proof of the Kudla-Rapoport conjecture for Kramer models.”
Yingkun Li (assistant professor) won the Best Paper Gold Award in Number Theory for the paper “Algebraicity of higher Green functions at a CM point.”
Congratulations to all! We are so honored to have you here and representing our university!

]]> MXM featured on UW Foundation article about Expanding the Borders of the Badger Experience https://math.wisc.edu/2025/12/01/mxm-featured-on-uw-foundation-article-about-expanding-the-borders-of-the-badger-experience/ Mon, 01 Dec 2025 21:38:38 +0000 https://math.wisc.edu/?p=8833 The Madison Experimental Math (MXM) program was featured as part of an article published to the UW Foundation’s website on the Badger experience and how donations help fund extraordinary programs for students.  MXM was founded in 2021.  Since it’s inception, 297 students have participated, gaining experience with hands-on investigative experiences, working in a team, and preparing for a final showcase of their project.   In 2023, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin visited the department and spent time with students involved in the program.   The program’s director, Caglar Uyanik, notes the impact of donor support.   It financed the initial setup and provides a modest stipend for graduate student mentors.  These funds continue to fund the day-to-day activities and large meetings throughout the semester.

Link: Expanding Borders of the Badger Experience | University of Wisconsin Foundation

]]> Gurevich with Howe, and Kritz, to participate in IAS workshop https://math.wisc.edu/2025/10/23/gurevich-with-howe-and-kritz-to-participate-in-ias-workshop/ Thu, 23 Oct 2025 17:28:12 +0000 https://math.wisc.edu/?p=8761 Gurevich with Howe, and Kritz, to participate in IAS (Institute of Advanced Studies, Princeton) workshop devoted to the discovery of the notion of size of symmetry.

Lecture 1:  Special Joint IAS/PU Group Theory Afternoon
A Look at Representations of SL(2,q)
Via the Lens of Size: Motivations, Rank, Eta Correspondence
Speaker:  Shamgar Gurevich (UW)
November 04, 2025 | 3:15pm – 4:00pm

Lecture 2: Special Joint IAS/PU Group Theory Afternoon
A Further Look at the Oscillator Semigroup and the eta Correspondence for Dual Pairs Over Finite Fields
Speaker:  Roger Howe (Yale)
November 04, 2025 | 4:15pm – 5:00pm

Lecture 3:  Special Joint IAS/PU Group Theory Afternoon
Howe Duality Over Finite Fields
Speaker:  Sophie Kritz (Princeton)
November 04, 2025 | 5:00pm – 6:00pm

]]> Aaron Naber (IAS) to give distinguished lecture and seminar https://math.wisc.edu/2025/10/21/aaron-naber-ias-to-give-distinguished-lecture/ Tue, 21 Oct 2025 18:33:37 +0000 https://math.wisc.edu/?p=8746 Aaron Naber, Professor of Mathematics from the Institute of Advanced Study, Princeton, is set to give a distinguished lecture and a seminar the week of October 20-24, 2025.

The lecture will be on October 22, 2025, at 4pm in B239 Van Vleck Hall.

The title is Structure of Singular Sets: Nonlinear Harmonic Maps and the Energy Identity.

Abstract:  We begin this talk with an introduction to linear and nonlinear harmonic maps between Riemannian manifolds, with a first goal of understanding some basic examples and uses in geometry and analysis.  Unlike linear harmonic maps, which are always smooth and well behaved, nonlinear harmonic maps may exhibit singularities of various sorts.  One type of singularity which appears is in the form of discontinuous points of a fixed solution.  Another which appears is in the form of blow up not for a single solution, but for a sequences of solutions.  We will give examples and discuss how they relate to the general theory, attempting to end at an explanation of the regularity theory and energy identity of nonlinear harmonic maps.  Work discussed is joint with Daniele Valtorta.

The seminar will be on October 23, 2025 at 4pm in 22 Ingraham Hall.

The title is Structure of Singular Sets: Recent Progress on Manifolds with Ricci Curvature Bounds.

Abstract:  In this talk we survey some of the recent advances made in the understanding of manifolds with lower and two sided Ricci curvature bounds.  We will discuss the structure theory of such spaces, both in terms of singularities and in terms of topological behavior, with an emphasis on using examples to explain recent advances.  We will discuss some open problems and directions.

 

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