The position provides a stipend to an international researcher in the mathematical sciences to participate in a full-term course related to a Fields Institute Thematic Program. The course may be taken for credit by graduate and advanced undergraduate students. During the five-month term period, the Visiting Professor will split time between the Fields Institute’s Toronto campus and McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

Chris Miller (Ohio State University) will come to Toronto in January 2022 for the 2021-2022 academic year, while Nicola Gigli (SISSA) will begin his tenure next September.

“An important part of what makes the Fields Thematic Programs work is having senior people here, but it can be a challenge for researchers to get away. The Dean’s Distinguished Visiting Professorship position gives them the freedom to come to Toronto for 4-6 months,” says Fields Institute Deputy Director, Deirdre Haskell. “It’s also an exciting opportunity for McMaster to bring in a senior researcher that enhances the environment.

The Dean's Distinguished Visiting Professor is selected by a committee representing the Fields Institute and the Department of Mathematics. While it is expected that the position will be filled by a person associated with a thematic program at Fields during the period of residency, candidates may also be nominated by any faculty member of the Mathematics Department at McMaster University. Nominations can be made either to the Fields Institute Director or to the Chair of the Department of Mathematics.

This new position also solidifies the longstanding, close relationship between Fields and McMaster; the university has been involved with the Institute since its founding in 1992 and at least two directors and three deputy directors of the Fields Institute have come from the university.

“McMaster is one of the founding Principal Sponsoring Universities of the Fields Institute and has benefited tremendously from participation in its programs and activities. We have also been deeply involved in the governance of the Institute. The Dean’s Distinguished Visiting Professorship further strengthens our long-standing relationship with Fields. This new initiative will leverage the prestige of the Institute to bring leading international researchers to our campus. The Department of Mathematics & Statistics looks forward to welcoming and collaborating with Chris Miller from Ohio State University in the new year,” says Matheus Grasselli, Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in McMaster’s Faculty of Science.

For more information please contact:

Jordana Feldman, Senior Writer

jfeldman@fields.utoronto.ca

The Fields Institute is a Canadian hub for mathematics with a longstanding international reputation for excellence. We provide a space for people to come together and use mathematics to advance research and address issues of global importance. The Institute has a global reach with a network of high-quality mathematics talent across the world. We are cross-disciplinary in nature as mathematics underpins research across numerous fields.

McMaster University is a research-intensive and student-centred university dedicated to advancing human and societal health and well-being. McMaster ranks among the top 80 universities worldwide.