Two UO mathematics professors, Jonathan Brundan and James Isenberg, have been named 2021 fellows of the American Mathematical Society.

Brundan was selected for his contributions to the Lie theory and representation theory, while Isenberg, a professor emeritus, was chosen for his work on mathematical general relativity and geometry flows. They join four other current UO math faculty members  and five math professors emeritus as fellows of the national society.

The fellowships recognize excellence in a mathematician’s research and the significant contributions researchers have made to the mathematics community as a whole.

“I’m very proud to have been named an AMS fellow this year,” Brundan said. “It is amazing to be recognized for the work I’ve done over the last 25 years in Oregon.”

Brundan said much of his early research was a joint effort with colleague Alexander Kleshchev, a 2016 math society fellow. Together they made progress on studying representations of general linear and symmetric groups using combinatorial structures known as crystals.

“Mathematics in the United States is both deep and broad, and the AMS represents a huge community across the country and beyond,” Brundan said. “It is very hard to stand out amongst so many strong researchers. Perhaps it is the combinatorial, diagrammatic nature of my research that has made it accessible and given it quite a wide appeal.”

The American Mathematical Society is the professional organization for research mathematics in the U.S. and is a premier professional organization for research mathematics in the world, said Hal Sadofsky, divisional dean of natural sciences for the College of Arts and Sciences.

“It’s remarkable to see our small department with its roughly 30 mathematics researchers, far from the centers of mathematics, have so many of its faculty singled out for this honor, for work ranging from fundamental study of symmetry to exploration of the edges of geometry and general relativity,” Sadofsky said.

The UO Department of Mathematics is now home to eleven fellows, including Kleshchev and Patricia Hersh, both 2016; Huaxin Lin, 2013; Peter Gilkey, 2013; and Professor Emeritus Marie A. Vitulli, 2020. Charles Curtis, William Kantor, Gary Seitz and Lewis Ward, all now professors emeritus in math, and Eugene Luks, now a professor emeritus in the Department of Computer and Information Science, were named fellows in 2013.

—By Victoria Sanchez, University Communications