Department of Mathematics

In the College of Arts & Sciences, we are proud to celebrate our first-generation community through a collection of stories! We honor our faculty and staff, and their many contributions to our university community and beyond.

Mathematics and Democracy, an undergraduate mathematics course, explores the role of math in many aspects of democracy, from elections to proportional representation. 

The College of Arts & Sciences welcomes students and their families to connect with faculty and staff, learn about a variety of topics, and explore our spaces throughout Family Weekend.

Happening September 18–27, 2024, Dawg Daze offers more than 500 events hosted by student organizations and UW departments. Kick off the fall quarter and celebrate a return to campus with these can’t-miss recommendations from the College of Arts & Sciences!

The traveling salesperson problem is one of the oldest known computational questions. Despite seeming simple, the problem is notoriously difficult. Recent work using geometric tools has created a new, faster algorithm, making the biggest runtime leap in decades. Co-developer Thomas Rothvoss, professor of mathematics and of computer science and engineering at the UW, is quoted.

Integer linear programming can help find the answer to a variety of real-world problems. Now researchers have found a much faster way to do it. Research from Thomas Rothvoss, Professor of Mathematics, is mentioned.

"My family could not provide me with information on what it means to be a university student, so I had to figure it out myself. It is a huge change going from high school to university. In the end, I viewed my experience as something that gave me an edge. I learned to solve problems and figure out answers as I needed them and this gave me strength and self-confidence." - Sándor Kovács, Professor, Department of Mathematics

"Find a sympathetic faculty member and start asking questions. How should you design your major?  How do you go about realizing your goals or what's the best way to clarify to yourself what your goals are?   You don't know what you don't know -- it's very, very easy to make mistakes that will have you miss out on opportunities without even realizing it!" - Stefan Steinerberger, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics 

Kick off the Autumn quarter and celebrate a return to campus with these can’t-miss recommendations from the College of Arts & Sciences.

Two University of Washington faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences for 2023: Gunther Uhlmann, the Robert R. and Elaine F. Phelps Endowed Professor in Mathematics at the UW; and Philip Greenberg, professor of medicine and of immunology at the UW.

The Husky 100 recognizes 100 UW undergraduate and graduate students who are making the most of their time at the UW.

Two University of Washington faculty members have been awarded early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The new Sloan Fellows, announced Feb. 15, are Leilani Battle, an assistant professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, and Jonathan J. Zhu, an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics.

The formation of the Pacific Alliance for Low Income Inclusion in Statistics and Data Science (PALiISaDS) is a new partnership supported by a $5,000,000 investment from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics  (SSTEM) Program.  The partnership is led by the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Washington, and also includes the University of California, Irvine, California State University Monterey Bay, California State University East Bay, California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo, and San Diego State University. 

Four Dean's Medalists were selected by the College of Arts & Sciences for their varied and impressive work as UW undergraduates. 

Through the Math Alliance, UW departments and programs provide mentoring and networking to encourage diversity in STEM fields.