Program

Note: UVA is not running a Number Theory REU in 2024. To apply to the UVA Topology program please visit this website: web link

The UVa Department of Mathematics organizes summer research experiences for students interested in Number Theory and Representation Theory and Topology. We seek a diverse group of approximately 16-24 participants selected from a nationwide search between these two programs.  In the Topology program (not offered in 2023), approximately half of the participants will be selected from the mid-Atlantic region. Therefore, this program encourages applications from all colleges and universities in Virginia and neighboring states.  Most of the participants will be US citizens or permanent residents who are presently enrolled in a US undergraduate institution or high school. In the past, we have offered openings to high school students who are adequately prepared for the program. The Topology arm of the REU is specifically looking for students who haven’t had an opportunity for research experiences before.

All participants will receive a $5750 stipend. At present we are planning an in-person program (otherwise, the program will be virtual as in 2020 and 2021). Participants will receive free accommodations in on-grounds furnished apartments (Bice Hall). 

The program will consist of research mentorship, mini-courses, a weekly colloquium series, and professional development activities. Research projects shall be offered in the following fields:

· Number Theory and Representation Theory

· Geometry and Topology

 

Participants will work in small groups on level-appropriate research projects. The projects shall range from entry level undergraduate research through beginning graduate level work. This program is possible thanks to generous funding from the NSF (notably an NSF REU grant and the UVa NSF Research Training Grant (RTG) in Geometry and Topology), the NSA, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Templeton World Charity Foundation. In addition to the aforementioned sources, the REU is grateful for gifts from Jane Street Capital and a number of private donors.

Selection for the program will be based on mathematical enthusiasm and potential as demonstrated in the applicant’s personal statement and letters of recommendation, along with mathematical ability as reflected in the academic transcript, letters of recommendation, and any prior research experience. Additional factors such as access to prior academic opportunity, geographic proximity to UVa, and membership in a group underrepresented in mathematics will also be considered.

History. Ken Ono has been running REU programs since 1998. These programs were held at the University of Wisconsin (Madison) and Emory University before he moved to UVa in 2019.  These participants have won dozens of NSF Graduate Fellowships, multiple Marshall Scholarships, multiple Gates Fellowships, multiple Goldwater Fellowships, 2 Rhodes Scholarships, 9 Morgan Prizes and 8 Schafer Prizes. Former participants have assumed tenure-track/tenured positions in the mathematical sciences at Brown University (2), Duke University, Harvard University, Notre Dame, Purdue University, UC Berkeley (2), UC San Diego (2), University of Michigan (3), University of Washington at Seattle (2), Vanderbilt University, to name a few.

Management Team. The program will be managed by UVa mathematics professors Thomas Koberda, Nick Kuhn, Tom Mark and Ken Ono.