Harvard Department of Mathematics

We are pleased to bring you this short documentary film exploring the depth and creativity of our department! #harvardmath youtu.be/VI5fUKPK2No

This month, TPSE Math is convening leaders from across the mathematical sciences, higher education, industry, and partner organizations for the 2026 Modernizing Undergraduate Math Summit. The summit will focus on how undergraduate mathematics can better prepare students for an AI-infused, data-rich, and rapidly changing world. Participants will explore principles for modern undergraduate math, scalable course innovations, flexible pathways, quantitative reasoning, and strategies for coordinated national implementation. Special thanks to @Harvard, @HarvardMath for hosting. This is an invite-only working summit, but the work is intended to extend well beyond the room. Follow TPSE Math for summit updates, outcomes, and future opportunities to engage. #UndergraduateMath #MathEducation #HigherEd #AIinEducation #STEMEducation #EducationInnovation

Classes are over and reading period has begun, but we hope our students don't forget to take a break and smell the spring flowers! It's a perfect day to crack open a book underneath a flowering tree. #harvardmath #springtime

Congratulations Melanie Matchett Wood of @HarvardMath, newly inducted #NASmember! #NAS163 #mathematics

Congratulations to Harvard math Ph.D. graduate Yunqing Tang, currently an associate professor at University of California, Berkeley, for receiving the 2026 New Horizons in Mathematics Prize! math.harvard.edu/yunqing-tang-r…

From evolutionary biology to physics, mathematics to genomics, major unanswered questions keep even the most advanced researchers up at night. For math professor Melanie Matchett Wood, that question is: "How are prime numbers distributed among integers?" news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/…

Among the 15 superlative seniors from the class of 2026: Unsung Hero Easton Singer. The love Easton, a math concentrator, has for puzzles is apparent in how admirably he’s figured out his life at Harvard — without Google Calendar. thecrimson.com/article/2025/1…

Among the 15 superlative seniors from the class of 2026: Renaissance Person Max Fan. An English and math concentrator, he sees lessons in a kind of intellectual vastness everywhere around him. thecrimson.com/article/2025/1…

It is with heavy hearts that we say farewell to Professor Emeritus Heisuke Hironaka, who passed away at the age of 94. He received his graduate degree from Harvard in 1960 under the direction of Oscar Zariski and joined the Harvard faculty in 1968. math.harvard.edu/in-memory-of-p…

First Proof is an an effort to see whether LLMs can contribute meaningfully to pure mathematics research. The dust has settled on round one, and the results are surprising. Another round is commencing. scientificamerican.com/article/as-ai-…

@DeivonDrago Hello and thank you for asking! Professor Vafa was actually appointed Harvard Timken University Professor as of 2025: physics.harvard.edu/people/facpage…

@HarvardMath Wait. Did Vafa retire?

We are delighted to announce that Prof. Laura DeMarco was appointed the Hollis Professor of Mathematicks and Natural Philosophy, the second oldest named chair at Harvard and the oldest chair in science in all of the U.S.! #harvardmath math.harvard.edu/laura-demarco-…

"The verdict, it seems, is in: artificial intelligence is not about to replace mathematicians. That is the immediate takeaway from the “First Proof” challenge—perhaps the most robust test yet of the ability of LLMs to perform mathematical research." scientificamerican.com/article/first-…

Happy Euler's Day! To celebrate, join our own Lauren Williams and other world-renowned mathematicians in a grand experiment to more clearly define the boundary between artificial and human intelligence. news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/…

The Science Center courtyard is a winter wonderland right now! But are you familiar with the math behind snowflakes? From exploring hexagonal symmetry to understanding fractal geometry and self-similarity, snowflakes are a visual representation of abstract mathematical ideas.

"Another perfect square like 2025 (452 = 2,025) won’t occur again until 2116 (462 = 2,116). The year 2027 will be a prime number. By comparison, our current year, 2026, seems almost boring. But that’s a misconception." scientificamerican.com/article/why-20…

It is with heavy hearts that we say farewell to Professor Emeritus Benedict Gross, who passed away in December, 2025. We collected stories, anecdotes, and recollections about Gross’ impact on the lives of his friends, colleagues, and former students. math.harvard.edu/in-memory-of-p…

Harvard math professor Horng-Tzer Yau awarded 2026 Steele Prize for Seminal Contribution to Research alongside László Erdős and Benjamin Schlein. #harvardmath math.harvard.edu/horng-tzer-yau…

More than 50 Harvard students participated in the 86th William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, the premier math contest for college undergraduates in North America. #harvardmath news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/…

"Explore a shape that can’t pass through itself, a teenage prodigy, and two new kinds of infinity." It's been a big year for math; here's to a bigger, better 2026! quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-ma…