Mathematics (Graduate Program)

For information regarding the UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM, click here. 

Program Overview

The Department of Mathematics features vigorous programs of research and graduate education in mathematics. It is strongly supported with federal grants, including a current National Science Foundation VIGRE grant. The department has 52 professors holding doctorates from many of the world’s leading institutions (see www.math.lsu.edu/people/professors). Faculty members maintain a strong commitment to research. This results in many lively research seminars for faculty and graduate students.

The department offers doctoral study in many areas of pure and applied mathematics. . Specialties include algebraic geometry, algebraic topology, knot theory, graph theory, matroid theory, optimization, control theory, partial differential equations, mathematics of materials science, scientific computing and numerical analysis, integral and evolution equations, Lie group representations, harmonic analysis, representation theory, number theory, quadratic forms, probability theory, stochastic analysis, mathematical physics, and topological algebra. Research areas are described at www.math.lsu.edu/grad/resgps.

The department enrolls about 90 graduate students. Many graduate courses and research seminars areoffered each semester. (See the link www.math.lsu.edu/grad/cur.grad.cour to see actual offerings in recent semesters.) Incoming graduate students are invited to participate in an orientation program run by the current graduate students during the two weeks prior to the beginning of classes.

National and international conferences held on campus are organized by the department’s faculty research groups. The 100 students who have earned Math PhD’s at LSU since 2000 have found excellent employment, as can be seen at www.math.lsu.edu/grad/postdocs.

Graduate assistants and fellows are provided with office space in the department, use of the department’s extensive computer system, access to the university’s computer systems, library privileges, student memberships in the American Mathematical Society, and opportunities to participate in special educational programs at national mathematical sciences research institutes, such as MSRI Berkeley.

Administration

Admission

Applications and supporting materials for all graduate study must be submitted through the online application site for the LSU Graduate School: www.lsu.edu/gradapply. Official transcripts, official test scores, and other materials that come from third-party sources must be mailed to: Graduate Student Services, 114 West David Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. These paper documents are stored electronically and departments have access to all materials submitted by and/or on behalf of a student applying to graduate study.

Applications for admission for the fall semester should be received with all supporting documents by the end of January. Late applicants will be considered so long as openings remain. Complete detailed departmental instructions for application are given at www.math.lsu.edu/dept/grad/applprocd, which includes a timetable for decisions and a list of average criteria met by successful applicants recently. Applicants must adhere to the application deadlines and requirements established by the graduate school.

Students seeking admission must submit satisfactory credentials from previous college and/or graduate study, GRE general test scores, and three letters of recommendation. These letters are very important and should be written by professors who can attest from direct knowledge to the applicant’s readiness for graduate study in mathematics. A statement of purpose presenting the student’s mathematical experience, interests and goals must be provided. International students whose native language is not English must also submit an acceptable TOEFL or IELTS score.

Financial Assistance

The Department offers a wide variety of financial aid in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, fellowships and traineeships. These are detailed at www.math.lsu.edu/dept/grad/funding There is a required “Statement of Purpose” which must be included as part of the application. It is needed so that the department can ascertain whether the student’s experience, preparation and goals are compatible with the department’s research interests and programs. To ensure consideration for all available forms of financial aid, all application materials, with full supporting documents, should be submitted through the online application site for the LSU Graduate School: www.lsu.edu/gradapply., and in accordance with deadlines and requirements established by The LSU Graduate School. The department will consider late applications, but offers of financial aid will be made beginning in February. Late applicants can be considered for remaining openings or for declined financial aid offers.

Graduate Faculty

(check current listings by department by clicking this link)

Pramod Achar (M) • Representation theory of algebraic groups William A. Adkins (M) • Analytic geometry, linear algebra over commutative rings
Burak Aksoylu (3F) • Numerical analysis, scientific computing
Yaniv Almog (M) • Ginzburg-Landau theory of superconductivity, fluid mechanics
Yuri Antipov (M) • Integral and functional equations of continuum mechanics
Scott Baldridge (M) • Geometric topology, differential geometry, gauge theory Blaise Bourdin (M) • Mathematics of materials science, scientific computing, optimal design
Susanne C. Brenner (M) • Scientific computing & numerical analysis, multigrid methods
Daniel Cohen (M) • Topology and combinatorics
Pierre E. Conner Jr (EM) • Topology, algebra
Elizabeth Dan-Cohen (6A) • Representation theory of Lie Algebras
Pallavi Dani (6A) • Geometric group theory
Oliver Dasbach (M) • Knot theory, braid groups, low-dimensional topology Mark G. Davidson (M) • Representations of Lie groups Christopher B. Davis (3F) •Numerical Analysis
Charles N. Delzell (M) • Real algebraic geometry
Guoli Ding (M) • Graph theory, combinatorics
Robert Dorroh (EM) • Partial differential equations
Ricardo Estrada (M) • Asymptotic expansions, Fourier analysis, integral equations
Guillermo S. Ferreyra (3A) • Control theory, partial differential equations, probability
Patrick M. Gilmer (M) • Knot theory and low-dimensional manifolds
Benjamin Harris (3F) • Lie Groups, Representation Theory
Hongyu He (M) • Representation Theory and Harmonic Analysis
Jerome W. Hoffman (M) • Algebraic geometry
Mary Katherine Kearney (3F) • Topology, Knot Theory
Hui-Hsiung Kuo (M) • Probability
Jimmie D. Lawson (EM) • Topological algebra
Robert P. Lipton (M) • Calculus of variations and PDE, optimal material design
Amha Lisan (M) • Topological algebra
Richard A. Litherland (M) • Algebraic topology, knot theory James J. Madden (M) • Algebraic geometry
Karl E. Mahlburg (6A) • Number theory, combinatorics
Michael Malisoff (M) • Control theory and nonlinear differential equations
Jorge Morales (M) • Quadratic forms
Gregory Muller (3F) • D-modules, derived categories, moduli spaces, geometry of noncommutative rings
Frank M. Neubrander (M) • Operator semi-group, partial differential equations
Phuc Cong Nguyen (6A) • Partial differential equations, harmonic analysis, nonlinear potential theory
Augusto Nobile (EM) • Algebraic geometry
Richard Oberlin (6A) • Classical harmonic analysis, radon transforms, and time-frequency analysis
Gestur Olafsson (M) • Lie groups
Bogdan Oporowski (M) • Graph theory
James G. Oxley (M) • Matroid theory, graph theory
Robert V. Perlis (M) • Algebraic number theory
James R. Retherford (EM) • Functional analysis
Leonard F. Richardson (M) • Harmonic analysis on homogeneous spaces
Boris Rubin (M) • Harmonic analysis, Radon transforms, wavelets
Daniel Sage (M) • Representation theory, algebraic geometry, material science
Ambar Sengupta (M) • Probability, mathematical physics
Stephen Shipman (M) • Photonic band gap materials, discrete nonlinear Schrodinger equations
Lawrence J. Smolinsky (M) • Knot theory, algebraic topology
Neal Stoltzfus (M) • Knots, Links & Algebraic Invariants, low Dimensional Topology, Braids & Mapping Class Group
Padmanaban Sundar (M) • Probability and statistics
Li-yeng Sung (M) • Partial differential equations, scientific computing
Michael M. Tom (M) • Partial differential equations
Anastasiia Tsvietkova (3F) • Low-dimensional topology and knot theory
David Shea Vela-Vick (6A) • Contact and symplectic geometry, low-dimensional topology, Riemannian geometry
Dirk Vertigan (M) • Combinatorics
Shawn Walker (6A) • Finite element methods, free boundary problems, PDE-constrained (shape) optimization
Xiaoliang Wan (6A) • Stochastic modeling, numerical methods for stochastic PDEs, minimum action method
Peter R. Wolenski (M) • Control theory
Milen Yakimov (M) • Integrable systems, representation theory, and Poisson geometry
Hongchao Zhang (6A) • Nonlinear optimization and its applications, numerical analysis, numerical linear algebra

Degree Programs

Programs

• Mathematics, Ph.D.

• Mathematics, M.S.