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.
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Number theory is the study of the integers (e.g. whole numbers) and related objects. Topics studied by number theorists include the problem of... Read more about Number Theory »
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 »
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 research in physical modeling focuses on the formulation and analysis of mathematical representations of problems motivated by other... Read more about Physical Modeling »
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 »
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.
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. PhD thesis work can be supervised by any member of the mathematics graduate faculty.
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.
Once or twice a year the Math Department sponsors lectures named in honor of Professor John J. Gergen (1903-1967), former chairman of the department. These lectures feature the prominent mathematicians of our time.
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.
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.
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.
