Today on International Women in Mathematics Day (May 12), we celebrate the many women in our department whose research, teaching, mentorship, and leadership continue to shape and strengthen the mathematical community.
#WomenInMaths #May12WIM #ubc
UBC Mathematics is delighted to welcome Dr. Nicolle González, who joined the department last fall as an assistant professor.
🔍Dr. González's research interests lie in algebraic combinatorics and representation theory, with applications to link homology theory.
Before joining UBC, Dr. González was an Institute for Computational and Experimental (ICERM) Research Fellow at Brown University during the Fall 2025 Categorification and Computation in Algebraic Combinatorics semester program. Prior to this, she was a Charles B. Morrey Visiting Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley.
🔗Read more - link in bio.
🏆UBC Mathematics Professors Pablo Shmerkin and Joshua Zahl (currently on leave at Nankai University), together with collaborators Tuomas Orponen (University of Jyväskylä) and Hong Wang (IHES and NYU), have been awarded the 2026 Clay Research Award by the Clay Mathematics Institute.
Their work solved two of the most challenging problems in modern mathematics—the Furstenberg set problem and the 3D Kakeya conjecture—after more than a decade of collaboration.
Professors Shmerkin and Zahl, along with their collaborators, will receive their award at the Clay Research Conference in September 2026.
Congratulations to all on this incredible accomplishment! 👏
🔗Read more - link in bio.
The Niven Lecture, an annual talk given to graduating math students, their family members and the general public, takes place on May 26.
🕐 Time: 1 - 2 PM
📍Location: MATH 100
🎙Dr. Joshua Greene (Boston College) will give an accessible talk titled "The Square Peg Problem".
Abstract: I will tell the story of a mathematical problem which can be understood and tested by a child, yet which has resisted solution for over a century, in spite of the efforts of many prominent mathematicians. I will describe in parallel the development of a seemingly unrelated mathematical movement inspired by physics which recently delivered unexpected insights into this problem. This is a talk about long thinking in mathematics, what makes problems difficult and interesting, and what the future may hold in store.
More details - visit the link in our bio.
Congratulations to UBC Mathematics graduate student Jacob Stockton on being awarded the 2025-2026 Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award. 👏
This award recognizes the exceptional contributions graduate teaching assistants make to teaching and learning at UBC. Jacob is one of nineteen graduate teaching assistants selected to receive this award.
Congratulations Jacob!
Postdocs keep our department running - research, teaching, events, you name it. But most people never get to see what their days actually look like.
So we spent a day with Maksym, one of our UBC Math postdocs, to get a behind‑the‑scenes look at his routine.
Here’s what a day in the life of a math postdoc really looks like.
Faculty members, postdocs, graduate students and math undergraduates - please join us on Monday, March 30 for our second Math Tea Social.
🕞 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
📍LSK 121
🎤Speaker: Dr. Anotida Madzvamuse
What to expect:
➡ A short 10 - 15 minute talk by Dr. Madzvamuse followed by tea, coffee, snacks and socializing ☕🍪
Drop in anytime and stay as long as you'd like.
📚Have you studied high‑school calculus and want a preview of first‑year university calculus?
The Calculus Challenge Exam (CCE) is a 2½‑hour written exam created by UBC Mathematics to test your understanding of differential calculus and key prerequisites. It’s designed for students who’ve studied high‑school calculus but haven’t yet started university or college.
Why write it?
▶ You can earn first‑year university calculus credit at several BC universities if you score above 50%.
▶ It’s a great personal challenge and a chance to perform at a first‑year university level.
▶ At $100, it’s more affordable than the AP exam and locally designed!
Registration is now open until Friday, May 22, 2026.
🔗 Registration info can be found in the link in our bio.
Our department billiards tournament kicked off today! 🎱
Great people, friendly competition, and pizza from @vancouver_pizza_heaven 🍕. Thank you to everyone who joined us and to our department members who organized the event.
Sure, our faculty members are really, REALLY good at math, but they’re also really fascinating people as well.
Take associate professor of teaching, Patrick Walls, who has an unexpected past as a member of Canadian indie rock band Reverie Sound Revue 🎸
Here we talk to Patrick about his musical background—he’s a great reminder that mathematicians come from all kinds of backgrounds!
🎶FYI - the music in the background of this video is a clip from “An Anniversary Away” by Reverie Sound Revue.
📢Calling all department members (faculty, postdocs, and grad student) and undergraduate math students!
Join us for the very first Math Tea - a new department‑wide social series designed to bring our community together.
📅 Monday, March 16
⏰ 3:30–4:30 PM
📍 LSK 121
🎤 Guest Speaker: Dr. Leah Edelstein‑Keshet
This event will begin with a short, informal 10–15 minute talk, followed by coffee, tea, snacks, and socializing! ☕🍪
Drop in anytime - stay for a few minutes or stick around for as long as you’d like!
This is the first of two events this semester (next one: March 30) - stay tuned for more info!
