From Purdue to the frontiers of geometry: Nick Miller returns as Distinguished Science Alumni Award recipient
04-10-2026
For Purdue University mathematics alumnus Nick Miller, the path from graduate student to faculty member has been anything but linear. But as he returns to campus this April to receive the College of Science’s Distinguished Science Alumni Award, one thing is clear: the foundation he built at Purdue continues to shape every step of his journey.
Miller earned his PhD in mathematics from Purdue in 2017, spending six formative years immersed in research, teaching and collaboration. Like many graduate students, his early days were defined by coursework and qualifying exams. But it was the people—and the intellectual breadth of the department—that left a lasting impression.
Working under advisor Ben McReynolds, Miller found both a research direction and a mentorship style that would influence his career. The two joined Purdue at roughly the same time, creating what Miller described as a shared energy that helped shape his experience. Beyond his core focus in geometry, he also engaged with faculty and peers across a range of mathematical areas—an approach that continues to define his work today.
“That exposure really benefited me later on,” Miller said. “It gave me a broader way of thinking about problems.”
After graduating, Miller began a postdoctoral position at Indiana University, where he expanded his expertise by incorporating ideas from dynamics into his background in hyperbolic geometry. That combination—blending tools from different fields to study complex geometric structures—has become central to his research.
His career then took him to University of California, Berkeley, where he and his wife, also an academic, held postdoctoral positions during the COVID-19 pandemic. He later accepted a tenure-track role at the University of Oklahoma before ultimately transitioning to his current position at Villanova University. Today, both he and his wife serve as tenure-track professors, navigating academic careers together.
Miller’s research focuses on hyperbolic geometry, a field that explores curved spaces that behave differently from the flat geometry most people learn in school. He often describes these shapes as resembling a saddle or even a potato chip—surfaces that curve upward in one direction and downward in another. While the concept may sound abstract, the questions it raises connect to multiple areas of mathematics, including topology, number theory and dynamical systems.
“I like working on problems that sit at the intersection of different fields,” Miller said. “It’s about finding new ways to approach the same questions.”
In addition to research, Miller is deeply committed to teaching and mentorship—an area he credits to his time at Purdue. As a graduate student, he gained extensive classroom experience, serving as instructor of record for several courses. That early exposure prepared him to teach across the undergraduate curriculum and shaped his approach to guiding students.
“Mentorship is one of the most important parts of what we do,” he said. “It’s where you can really have an impact on someone’s path, whether they stay in mathematics or not.”
Receiving the Distinguished Science Alumni Award is especially meaningful, Miller said, because it reflects both his professional achievements and his connection to the Purdue community.
“It was a huge, pivotal six years of my life,” he said. “To know the department still thinks of me and has followed my career—it’s really special.”
This visit will mark Miller’s first time back on campus since graduating. In addition to reconnecting with faculty and students, he will share his work through two public talks: a colloquium on Thursday, April 16, from 3–4 p.m. in Stanley Coulter Hall, room 239 titled Hyperbolic manifolds and their connections to geometry, number theory, and dynamics, and a seminar on Friday, April 17, at 1:30 p.m. in Schleman Hall, room 123 about Finiteness of arithmetic surface bundles.
For Miller, the opportunity to present in the same spaces where he once sat as a student brings his journey full circle.
“It’s going to be exciting,” he said. “There are so many memories tied to those places.”
As he returns to Purdue—not as a student, but as an honored alumnus—Miller’s story reflects the lasting impact of mentorship, collaboration and curiosity. And for the next generation of mathematicians, his path offers a reminder that where you start can shape where you go, even if the route in between takes a few unexpected turns.
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.
Written by: Alisha Willett, Communications Specialist, amwillet@purdue.edu
Contributors: Nick Miller