Linquan Ma earns IAS Von Neumann Fellowship

04-07-2025

Prof. Linquan Ma, of the Purdue University Department of Mathematics, has earned the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS)’s Von Neumann Fellowship. The School of Mathematics awards this fellowship to about eight incoming Members per year.  Fellowships may be for one or two terms.  Selected applicants are typically 5-15 years from attaining their PhD. IAS also asks von Neumann Fellows to participate in post-doctoral mentoring.

“It is certainly a great honor for me to receive the fellowship,” says Ma. “It is also a great opportunity for me to visit IAS: they have top research experts in my field. I am excited to learn from and conduct research with them.”

Ma obtained his Ph.D from University of Michigan in 2014. He conduct research in commutative algebra and algebraic geometry, especially singularity theory in mixed characteristic. He was awarded a Sloan fellowship in 2020.

“If we consider a set of polynomial equations (in multiple variables), then the common zeros of these equations define a so called ‘algebraic variety,’” says Ma. “Roughly speaking, my research is focused on detailing the local picture of such algebraic varieties (for instance, the parabola y=x^2 is smooth, meaning that locally they look like a line, while the cusp y^2=x^3 has a "singular point" at the origin (0,0)). In many situations, understanding these singularities and their local properties shed light on the global geometry of the variety, too.”

According to the IAS website, “for ninety years, more than eight thousand scientists and scholars at the Institute for Advanced Study have sought to understand the complexities of the physical world and of humanity, prompting advances in science and society. The Institute actively supports the development of the next generation of academic leaders and connects a worldwide community enriched by academic freedom. Research extends across the humanities and sciences, a broad reach that is fundamental to our mission.”