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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Professor Lenny Ng has been elected to the American Mathematical Society for his contributions to Floer homology and low-dimensional topology and... read more about Lenny Ng elected Fellow of the American Mathematical Society » -
Not yet. Robot composer good at emulating short snippets, but still hasn’t mastered melody... read more about Can We Teach Computers to Make Like Mendelssohn? » -
Graduate Student and new PhD, Hangjie (Jessie) Ji, was recognized by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) for her "outstanding... read more about SIAM Certificate Awarded to Hangjie Ji » -
Vinit Ranjan, Kelly Zhang, and Junmo Ryang are a group of prospective math majors who all met in high school at the North Carolina School of Science... read more about Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) » -
For centuries, mathematicians tried to solve problems by adding new values to the usual numbers. Now they’re investigating the unintended... read more about New Number Systems Seek Their Lost Primes: Prof. Lillian Pierce is featured in Quanta magazine » -
Kevin Murgas (Biomedical Engineering, Class 2017), started working on this project during a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in... read more about New Approach to Bone Remodeling »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Mathematical research in physical modeling focuses on the formulation and analysis of mathematical representations of problems motivated by other... Read more about Physical Modeling »
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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Shomik Verma, a junior at Duke University, was one of three students from Duke to be named a 2018 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar. This scholarship... read more about 2018 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar: Shomik Verma » -
The Dean's Award for Excellence in Advising was given to Rann Bar-On for his exceptional ability to guide undergraduates through their first two... read more about Rann Bar-On granted the Dean's Award for Excellence in Advising » -
For his excellent work in developing Data+ into a university model for undergraduate mentoring and research, Paul Bendich has been granted the Dean's... read more about Paul Bendich wins 2018 Dean's Leadership Award » -
Vinit Ranjan, Kelly Zhang, and Junmo Ryang are a group of prospective math majors who all met in high school at the North Carolina School of Science... read more about Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) »
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Kevin Murgas (Biomedical Engineering, Class 2017), started working on this project during a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in... read more about New Approach to Bone Remodeling »
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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 »
Graduate News
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On Sunday April 23, the Duke mathematics department hosted the fourth Triangle Area Graduate Mathematics Conference (TAGMaC). The event was... read more about Triangle Area Graduate Mathematics Conference (TAGMac) » -
Graduate Student and new PhD, Hangjie (Jessie) Ji, was recognized by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) for her "outstanding... read more about SIAM Certificate Awarded to Hangjie Ji »
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SIAM is the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics. We formed this chapter to promote collaboration, interdisciplinary activities, and... read more about New SIAM Chapter at Duke Mathematics! » -
In a paper published in the SIAM Journal on Imaging Sciences, Rujie... read more about Advanced Algorithm Improves Art Restoration Techniques » -
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 » -
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 »
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
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.