Ranked in the top 20 math graduate programs by U.S. News & World Report, our faculty conduct more than $3.7 million in research each year for industry, the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. Our faculty of 35 includes three National Academy of Science members and two National Academy of Engineering members. The Department supports more than 50 graduate students.
Research News
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In a paper recently published in the SIAM Journal on Imaging Sciences... read more about Advanced Algorithm Improves Art Restoration Techniques » -
Spring Breakthrough is a risk-free opportunity for first- and second-year students to explore their intellectual interests. For five days during... read more about Math + Zombies + GOT = Spring Break » -
The Simons Foundation is pleased to announce the establishment of the Simons Collaboration on Special Holonomy in Geometry, Analysis and Physics,... read more about Simons Collaboration on Special Holonomy in Geometry, Analysis and Physics, directed by Robert Bryant at Duke University » -
Ingrid Daubechies, a prominent mathematician whose pioneering work on wavelets is the foundation for millions of consumer products, has received a $1... read more about Simons Foundation Awards Duke's Ingrid Daubechies $1.5M Grant » -
The Mathematical Problems in Industry (MPI) is a week long workshop where companies bring real world problems to students and researchers in... read more about Mathematical Problems in Industry » -
A thin liquid film is a layer of fluid that has a breadth much greater than its depth. A representative example is the tear film that coats your eye... read more about Modeling Temperature Dependence in Marangoni-driven Thin Films »
Partial differential equations (PDEs) are one of the most fundamental tools for describing continuum phenomena in the sciences and engineering. Early... Read more about PDE & Dynamical Systems »
Computational Mathematics involves mathematical research in areas of science and engineering where computing plays a central and essential role.... Read more about Computational Mathematics »
Number theory is the study of the integers (i.e. whole numbers) and related objects. Topics studied by number theorists include the problem of... Read more about Number Theory »
Functions are representations of relations between sets, and in particular are useful for representing the changing states of a system: the velocity... Read more about Analysis »
In recent decades, an explosive synergy between biology and mathematics has greatly enriched and extended both fields. Indeed, given its ability to... Read more about Biological Modeling »
A large number of signals is collected from a wide variety of physical and biological phenomena, and in a variety of forms, ranging from acoustics,... Read more about Signals, Images, and Data »
Mathematical physics seeks to apply rigorous mathematical ideas to problems in physics, or problems inspired by physics. As such, it is a remarkably... Read more about Mathematical Physics »
Mathematical research in physical modeling focuses on the formulation and analysis of mathematical representations of problems motivated by other... Read more about Physical Modeling »
Researchers at Duke use geometric methods to study: the geometry and arithmetic of algebraic varieties; the geometry of singularities; general... Read more about Geometry: Differential & Algebraic »
Algebra refers to the use and manipulation of symbols, often with each representing some mathematical entity such as a quantity (think integer or... Read more about Algebra and Combinatorics »
Probability and Stochastic process is the study of randomness. It is at once a theoretical and abstract subject and one which is highly applied.... Read more about Probability »
Topology is the study of shapes and spaces. What happens if one allows geometric objects to be stretched or squeezed but not broken? In fact there’s... Read more about Topology »
Undergraduate Program
As a field of study, mathematics is unique. Known as “The Queen of the Sciences,” it is the purest form of quantitative analytical reasoning and thus has applications to almost every other science. In fact, many sciences rely so heavily on mathematics that their most important questions are, fundamentally, math problems.
Undergraduate News
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The Duke University Math Union (DUMU) is devoted to organizing and providing resources to students interested in mathematics. Throughout the year, we... read more about Duke University Mathematics Union (DUMU) » -
The Blue Devils may have lost in the Sweet 16 during March Madness 2016, but a Duke team crushed more than 500 other schools in the NCAA tournament... read more about Post-Game Roundup from the Brain Teaser Bowl » -
Six students have been named 2016 PRUV Fellows and will work on a variety of research projects from algebraic geometry and number... read more about PRUV: Program for Research for Undergraduates »
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The Duke Putnam team finished 10th among 577 colleges and universities in the 76th W.L Putnam Mathematical Competition. The student coach of the team... read more about Putnam Competition » -
The Julia Dale winners for 2016 are Lindsey Brown, Bryan Liu and Paul Ziquan Yang. Each of these students excelled in upper level... read more about Julia Dale Award » -
The following graduating math majors have written their Senior Honors Theses on their math or math related research: ... read more about Graduation with Distinction »
Graduate News
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In a paper recently published in the SIAM Journal on Imaging Sciences... read more about Advanced Algorithm Improves Art Restoration Techniques »
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Mathematics is not merely the solving of problems or the proving of theorems but the capacity to break the mold of one’s mind in order to entertain... read more about PhD Student Dmitry Vagner to Teach at Prometheus Education during Summer » -
A thin liquid film is a layer of fluid that has a breadth much greater than its depth. A representative example is the tear film that coats your eye... read more about Modeling Temperature Dependence in Marangoni-driven Thin Films »
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The main result of this thesis is the construction of Massey triple products of Eisenstein series. Massey triple products are a generalization of the... read more about Triple Products of Eisenstein Series » -
Six graduate students participated in the May 15, 2016 graduation ceremonies to celebrate earning their PhDs in Mathematics. Their thesis topics were... read more about 2016 PhD Graduates » -
Six graduate students participated in the May 15, 2016 graduation ceremonies to celebrate earning their PhDs in Mathematics. Their thesis topics were... read more about 2016 PhD Graduates »
Graduate Program
Major areas of research in the Duke Math Department include Algebra and Combinatorics, Algebraic Geometry, Analysis and Partial Differential Equations, Computational Math, Differential Geometry, Mathematical Physics, Number Theory, Probability Theory and Stochastic Processes, as well as the applications of mathematics to biology, the physical sciences, high-dimensional data, and the analysis of images. Other parts of these web pages list faculty by their specialization. That list includes postdocs and visitors. However, only the core mathematics faculty can supervise graduate students.
Courses, Plans & Placement
Whether you are planning to major or minor in math, fulfill your graduation requirements, or pick and choose courses that advance your career goals, there are math courses and people here to support you.
Featured Courses
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MATH89S.01Mathematics of the Universe, Instructor, Hugh Bray Want to learn about the mathematics behind the universe? Math 89S-01, "The Mathematics of the... read course details for Mathematics of the Universe » -
MATH89S.02Mathematics 89S.02, "The Magic of Numbers" Fall 2016 Instructor: Lenny Ng This course explores some of the intriguing and beautiful mathematics that... read course details for The Magic of Numbers » -
MATH165SIntroduction to basic ideas of modern cryptography with emphasis on history and mathematics of encryption, applications in daily life, and... read course details for Cryptography and Society » -
MATH323SEuclidean geometry, inverse and projective geometries, topology (Möbius strips, Klein bottle, projective space), and non-Euclidean geometries in two... read course details for Geometry » -
MATH333Complex numbers, analytic functions, complex integration, Taylor and Laurent series, theory of residues, argument and maximum principles, conformal... read course details for Complex Analysis » -
MATH340Advanced introduction to basic, non-measure theoretic proba- bility covering topics in more depth and with more rigor than MATH 230. Topics include... read course details for Advanced Introduction to Probability »
John J. Gergen Memorial Lectures
One to two times a year, the Math Department sponsors lectures named in honor of Professor John J. Gergen (1903-1967), former chairman of the department. These lecture feature the prominent mathematicians of our time.
Did You Know?
Mathematical sciences are an important part of modern day technological innovation and development. Did you know that math drives the "knowledge economy," including internet startups, biotech, film production, computer games and individualized medicine? Mathematical sciences help us to understand the spread of flu, earthquakes and avalanches, political upheavals and national economic fluctuations, and much more.
Why Study Math?
Suppose you love mathematics, but ultimately see yourself pursuing a career as a doctor, lawyer, or in business. You should be aware that professional graduate schools in medicine, law, and business think mathematics is a great major because it develops analytical skills and the ability to work in a problem-solving environment. Their entrance tests support this bias, so the more math you know the better you will do on their exams.
About Duke Mathematics
The Duke Mathematics Department currently comprises 30 tenured and tenure track faculty, 5 teaching faculty, 27 postdocs, and 53 graduate students. We have about 98 undergraduate mathematics majors and 41 minors. The number of mathematics majors who graduated in 2014-15 was 48; 28 mathematics minors also graduated. The research interests of the department span significant areas of pure and applied mathematics. Each year the department sponsors the Gergen Lectures, given by distinguished speakers in the field.