Harvard Department of Mathematics

08/25/2026

Graduate student orientation with our newest class of math Ph.D. candidates included a stop at the Cabot Science Library puzzle tables. Can't wait to see where they go from here!

08/18/2026

Elena Kim, a Harvard mathematician, has used the fractal uncertainty principle to understand chaotic systems in unconventional spaces.

The math, which combines chaos, quantum theory, and infinitely complex fractal structures, has been called a “foundational result.”

07/24/2026

Congratulations to former Harvard math Junior Fellow, Jacob Tsimerman, currently professor of mathematics at the University of Toronto, for receiving one of the four 2026 Fields Medals!

Congratulations to former Harvard math Junior Jellow, Jacob Tsimerman, currently professor of mathematics at the University of Toronto, for receiving one of the four 2026 Fields Medals! Tsimerman is a […]

07/22/2026

We are please to present this short film about mathematics at Harvard, part of ICM TV and the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) 2026. Combining films like this with interviews and features from the meeting itself, ICM TV captures the very best of the work done in mathematics today, the impact it has, and the community behind it.

A short film about the Harvard Department of Mathematics and the CMSA for the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians.

07/15/2026

A little bit of math history! "A mathematical formula inscribed on a wall at the Maya site of Xultun in Guatemala has revealed the name of an important Maya mathematician-astronomer for the first time. Researchers suggest Sak Tahn Waax, or ‘White-Chested Fox’, was a scholar comparable with mathematical giants of the past."

Mathematical texts from a Maya site in Guatemala identify an astronomer called Sak Tahn Waax.

06/29/2026

Listen to professor Lauren Williams tell the story of how studying a fundamental object in algebraic combinatorics led to a career full of surprises!

Lauren Williams tells ‘The Joy of Why’ how studying a fundamental object in algebraic combinatorics led to a career full of surprises.

06/22/2026

Amid claims of rapid advancement for AI’s mathematical prowess, the project known as “First Proof” gained widespread attention in February as a novel experiment to independently test AI’s ability to solve tough problems. The organizers, including Harvard professor Lauren Williams, knew they wanted to try again, with a formalized structure — a newly registered nonprofit, First Proof Foundation Inc. — more transparency, and more controls for the next round, which they dubbed “First Proof, Second Batch.”

Some answers were correct and solved at a high level, in a similar way to a published paper. Some were correct but were so strange or clunky they took hours for a mathematician to decipher. Some were mathematically correct, but cribbed so closely from published works without citing them that they wo...

06/15/2026

"A new benchmark pitting AI against previously unseen maths problems shows that systems still fall short of top human expertise."

A new benchmark pitting AI against previously unseen maths problems shows that systems still fall short of top human expertise.

06/11/2026

With college math stuck in the 20th century, work begins on a new formula. Attendees of a recent Harvard conference plan to propose nationwide curriculum reforms.

Scholars from around the United States recently gathered at Harvard to crack an unsolved problem in mathematics: how to make the subject more relevant to undergraduates.

06/02/2026

This past May, we hosted the first Modernizing Undergraduate Math Summit. Convened by TPSE Math with support from COMAP, Inc., American Mathematical Society, The American Statistical Association, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Mathematical Association of America, and American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges, it brought together leaders from across the mathematical and statistical sciences community to focus on a shared challenge: how mathematics and statistics courses at two-year and four-year institutions need to evolve for a world shaped by ubiquitous data, AI, powerful computational tools, modeling, and increasingly interdisciplinary work.

A clear theme ran throughout the summit: the field is not starting from scratch. Strong course and program models already exist, but too often they remain isolated or difficult for others to find, adapt, and scale.

Over the three days, participants worked on a set of shared draft principles for Modernizing Undergraduate Math, discussed model projects that can help show what change looks like in practice, and identified ways to build the communication, evidence, and implementation infrastructure needed for broader adoption.

The work ahead is to turn shared agreement into coordinated action. We can't wait to see where this work goes as it unfolds!