Research Opportunities

Department faculty conduct research on a wide range of topics at the frontiers of mathematics and its applications.  Faculty are eager to engage postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students, and departmental visitors as partners in these exciting projects.  Many projects involve collaborations with experimentalists, clinicians, and other scientists and their data, including collaborators from nearby UPMC medical facilities, other departments at Pitt, and other universities.  Departmental research efforts are supported by a range of seminars and by the activities of our Mathematics Research Center, which hosts multiple annual workshops on topics of recent exciting research developments and opportunities for progress.

Research Areas

Research areas within the department span the mathematical sciences and encompass a variety of applications, including subjects such as algebraic geometry; number theory; the rigorous use of computers in mathematics; real, complex, harmonic, and functional analysis; nonlinear partial differential equations; topology; dynamical systems; material science; mathematical biology and computational neuroscience; mathematical physics and differential geometry; mathematical finance; and large-scale scientific computing and supercomputing, computational fluid dynamics, turbulence, porous media modeling and simulation, and computational geometry.

Graduate Research

Graduate students build on broad foundations to develop expertise in a chosen area of mathematics and to engage this expertise to conduct impactful, cutting-edge original research.

Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate students are provided a rich learning and discovery environment that includes many opportunities to take part in mentored research activities in partnership with faculty members.

Mathematics Research Center

The MRC research activities encompass a broad range of areas, including algebra, combinatorics, geometry, topology, analysis, applied analysis, mathematical biology, mathematical finance, numerical analysis, and scientific computing. Ongoing activities include semester themes, distinguished lecture series, workshops, mini-conferences, research seminars, a visitor program, and a postdoctoral program.

Technical Reports

Some departmental research efforts are summarized in technical reports before being sent out for publication in the peer-reviewed literature.

Publications

View a list of recent research publications in the peer-reviewed literature from department members.

Gallery of Research Images

We are drawn to mathematics for its power, utility, and rigor but also for its elegance and beauty.  Enjoy a tour of some of the striking and beautiful visualizations that have emerged from recent research projects within the department.