Welcome to the Department of Mathematics!
Our Department is at an exciting time in our history. We expect to grow dramatically over the next decade, and continue to make advances in fundamental science and our teaching mission.
Our goals as a department are:
1. To provide world class education to our undergraduate and graduate students, and to do this in a way that is welcoming and supportive to all.
2. To perform mathematical research at the highest level, on the fundamental problems in the world.
3. To be ambassadors for mathematics within Vanderbilt, in the Nashville community, and beyond.
Among our 21 research faculty, our research covers a wide swath of mathematics, including homotopy theory, operator algebras, geometric group theory, epidemiology, differential geometry, approximation theory, signal processing, differential equations, numerical analysis, mathematical physics, graph theory, and number theory.
Our faculty has 3 International Congress of Mathematicians speakers, 9 Fellows of the AMS, 2 Fellows of SIAM, 5 Sloan Fellows, 2 NSF CAREER awardees, a Conant Prize winner, a Steele Prize winner, a Simons Fellow, a Humboldt Prize winner, 3 AMS plenary speakers, and a Mirzakhani lecturer.
Department News
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...
Prof. Dan Margalit and Isaiah Williams ’25 Unravel Mysteries of Math
Nov. 27, 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 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...