Sarah Jane Witherspoon is an American mathematician interested in topics in

abstract algebra In mathematics, more specifically algebra, abstract algebra or modern algebra is the study of algebraic structures. Algebraic structures include groups, rings, fields, modules, vector spaces, lattices, and algebras over a field. The term ''a ...

, including Hochschild cohomology and

quantum group In mathematics and theoretical physics, the term quantum group denotes one of a few different kinds of noncommutative algebras with additional structure. These include Drinfeld–Jimbo type quantum groups (which are quasitriangular Hopf algebras) ...

s. She is a professor of

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

Education

Witherspoon graduated from

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

in 1988, where she earned the Charles Wexler Mathematics Prize as the best mathematics student at ASU that year. She went on to graduate study in mathematics at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, and completed her Ph.D. in 1994. Her dissertation, supervised by

Jonathan Lazare Alperin Jonathan Lazare Alperin (; born 1937) is an American mathematician specializing in the area of algebra known as group theory. He is notable for his work in group theory which has been cited over 500 times according to the Mathematical Reviews. Th ...

, was ''The Representation Ring of the Quantum Double of a Finite Group''.

Career

Witherspoon taught at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

from 1994 to 1998. After holding visiting assistant professorships at

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University is a private college in Oakland, California and part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was ...

, the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a private liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It is the oldest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite historically women's colleges in the Northeastern United States. ...

, the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...

, and

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

, she joined the Texas A&M faculty in 2004.

Honors and awards

She was elected to the 2018 class of

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

s of the

American Mathematical Society The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...

, "for contributions to representation theory and cohomology of

Hopf algebra Hopf is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Eberhard Hopf (1902–1983), Austrian mathematician *Hans Hopf (1916–1993), German tenor *Heinz Hopf (1894–1971), German mathematician *Heinz Hopf (actor) (1934–2001), Swedis ...

s, quantum groups, and related objects, and for service to the profession and mentoring". She was named MSRI Simons Professor for Spring 2020.

Selected publications

References

External links

Home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Witherspoon, Sarah Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American mathematicians Arizona State University alumni University of Chicago alumni Academic staff of the University of Toronto Mills College faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty Mount Holyoke College faculty University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty Amherst College faculty Texas A&M University faculty Fellows of the American Mathematical Society 21st-century American women mathematicians