Two University of Notre Dame professors were named fellows of the Simons Foundation for 2024, which will allow them the opportunity to intensely focus on their research for up to a year.

Jonathan Hauenstein, Robert and Sara Lumpkins Collegiate Professor and Chair in the Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, as well as Andrew Putman, Notre Dame Professor of Topology in the Department of Mathematics, were among the fellows honored.

“I’m very excited to be awarded a Simons Fellowship in Mathematics and greatly appreciate the opportunity to focus on research during the ‘24-‘25 academic year,” said Hauenstein. “This will aid my research by enabling new collaborations, including the opportunity to visit researchers at a variety of institutions to discuss new applications of nonlinear systems.”

The fellowship will allow both professors the chance to clear their schedules of service and teaching responsibilities, so that they can focus only on research. Mathematical research requires intense focus and concentration over long periods of time, said Putman, so the fellowship is quite helpful.

“It’s also increasingly collaborative, and there is no substitute for spending physical time working with your collaborators and generating ideas,” Putman said.

They are both looking forward to having the academic year devoted to working on their research. Putman plans to focus on the geometry and topology of moduli spaces. He will mostly remain in South Bend, but plans to visit collaborators in the United States and Europe as well. Hauenstein also will remain mostly in South Bend with plans to visit several other researchers to discuss new ideas involving nonlinear systems. Additionally, he plans to work on a textbook on nonlinear systems for undergraduate students.

No matter their interests, though, both Hauenstein and Putman said they are incredibly thankful for the opportunity.

“The Simons Foundation has become one of the primary funders of mathematics in the United States, and I'm very grateful for all they have done for our profession,” said Putman.

Originally published by John LeSage at science.nd.edu on April 12, 2024.