The School of Mathematics (SoM) at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) seeks to support basic research and the training and development of postdoctoral researchers in mathematics. The School hosts approximately 70 researchers for long-term visits each year. Approximately one-third of these researchers are part of a special program focused on a particularly exciting field of mathematics, and the remaining are unrestricted in field. This award supports between 12 and 18 postdoctoral fellows and between 4 and 6 mid-career mathematicians annually, as well as small group collaborations during the summer. The School develops connections across career stages and mathematical fields, and an active mentoring program is in place to support postdoctoral fellows. The School also seeks to encourage researchers from underrepresented groups in the mathematical sciences to participate in its activities. The IAS as a whole brings together researchers from different institutions and fields who would not ordinarily be afforded the opportunity to interact, thereby strengthening the US scientific community as a whole.
The School of Mathematics seeks to achieve its primary goals – support of fundamental research and fostering mathematical talent – by creating an environment that encourages, both formally and informally, new collaborations and new lines of research. Postdoctoral fellows are assigned two mentors – a mid-career mathematician and a faculty member or visiting senior mathematician – with whom they meet regularly. The School holds numerous specialized weekly seminars across all fields of mathematics, some jointly with Princeton University. A broadly targeted "Members Seminar" and an informal "Mathematical Conversations" event are also held weekly. Each term there is a week-long workshop associated with the special program (the topic of which is "Geometric and Modular Representation Theory" in 2021-2022, and "h-Principle and Flexibility in Geometry and PDEs" in 2022-2023). Overall, all SoM visitors benefit from an environment where they can pursue research unhampered by administrative duties.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
