Three Purdue Mathematics Professors Selected for Prestigious Research Opportunity
10-02-2025
Three faculty members in Purdue University’s Department of Mathematics have been selected as members of the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) for the 2025–26 academic year. Professors Linquan Ma, Margaret Thomas and Trevor Wooley will join an international community of scholars at one of the world’s foremost centers for mathematical research and collaboration.
Ma, a professor of mathematics, specializes in commutative algebra and algebraic geometry. He first came to Purdue as a Golomb Visiting Assistant Professor before joining the faculty as an assistant professor in 2018. He was promoted to associate professor in 2021 and to full professor in 2025.
“It is a great honor for me to receive the fellowship,” Ma said. “IAS has top research experts in my field, and I am excited to learn from and conduct research with them.”
Thomas, an associate professor, focuses her research on model theory. She joined Purdue’s mathematics faculty in 2019 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2024.
Wooley, the Andris A. Zoltners Distinguished Professor of Mathematics, conducts research in number theory. He joined the department in 2019 and is recognized internationally for his contributions to the field.
Founded in 1930 and located in Princeton, New Jersey, the Institute for Advanced Study is home to scholars who have made some of the most influential discoveries of the past century. Past faculty and members have included Albert Einstein, John von Neumann, and J. Robert Oppenheimer. Today, IAS welcomes more than 250 distinguished researchers each year through a highly competitive selection process, fostering collaboration across mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences and historical studies.
About the Mathematics Department at Purdue University
The Department of Mathematics is one of seven departments making up Purdue's College of Science. The Department has an international reputation as an outstanding center for mathematical research and education. Over 70 professors are actively involved in research in many areas of mathematics, including visiting scholars and through a vibrant graduate program. The Department offers Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The department is located in the Math Building at 150 N. University Street in West Lafayette, Indiana. Learn more at math.purdue.edu.
Writer: Alisha Willett, amwillet@purdue.edu