Algebra provides the mathematical tools to find unknown quantities from related known ones, the famous quadratic equation being a familiar example. The subject interacts with all of mathematics as well as many applied fields. For instance, symmetries of pyramids or cubes, or indeed any object, can be viewed through the lens of algebra.
From Walter Feit’s pioneering work in finite group theory in the middle part of the 20th century to Moss Sweedler’s work on Hopf algebras to Ken Brown’s text, Cohomology of Groups, algebra has a long and strong history at Cornell.
The tradition continues, though research specialties have changed as has the discipline over the decades. Today the algebra group at Cornell includes experts in algebraic geometry, computational methods and commutative algebra, group theory, number theory, and representation theory. There are significant overlaps with combinatorics, probability, and topology.
Faculty Members
| Marcelo Aguiar | Algebra, combinatorics, category theory |
| Yuri Berest | Representation theory, noncommutative geometry, mathematical physics |
| Daniel Halpern-Leistner | Algebraic geometry, homological algebra, mathematical physics, and representation theory |
| Martin Kassabov | Combinatorial group theory |
| Allen Knutson | Algebraic geometry and algebraic combinatorics |
| Jason Manning | Geometric group theory, geometric topology |
| Karola Meszaros | Algebraic and geometric combinatorics |
| Irena Peeva | Commutative algebra |
| Ravi Ramakrishna | Algebraic number theory |
| Timothy Riley | Geometric group theory |
| Michael E. Stillman | Algebraic geometry, computational algebra |
| Edward Swartz | Combinatorics, topology, geometry, and commutative algebra |
| Nicolas Templier | Number theory, automorphic forms, and mathematical physics |
| Rachel Webb | Problems related to Gromov-Witten theory |
| David Zywina | Number theory, arithmetic geometry |
Emeritus and Other Faculty
| Louis Billera | Geometric and algebraic combinatorics | |
| Kenneth S. Brown | Algebra, topology, group theory | |
| Stephen U. Chase | Non-commutative algebra, homological algebra, Hopf algebras, group theory | |
| R. Keith Dennis | Commutative and non-commutative algebra, algebraic K-theory, group theory, mathematical bibliography | |
| Shiliang Gao | Algebraic combinatorics | |
| Andreea Iorga | Algebraic number theory | |
| Peter J. Kahn | Algebra, number theory, algebraic and differential topology | |
| Marie MacDonald | Number Theory, commutative Algebra, combinatorial geometry, university mathematics education | |
| Anton Mosunov | Number theory | |
| Ritvik Ramkumar | Algebraic geometry, commutative algebra | |
| Shankar Sen | Algebraic number theory | |
| Birgit E. Speh | Lie groups, automorphic forms, representation theory | |
| Moss E. Sweedler | Algebra, algorithms | |
| Karen Vogtmann | Topology, geometric group theory |
Activities and Resources
- Computer Algebra — Macaulay 2 resources
- Route 81 Conference
- Upstate New York Number Theory Conference
- Computational and Commutative Algebra Seminar
- Discrete Geometry and Combinatorics Seminar
- Lie Groups Seminar
- Number Theory Seminar
- Topology and Geometric Group Theory Seminar
