U of A Mathematics Department Head Doug Ulmer Named Fellow of the American Mathematical Society
Congratulations to University of Arizona Mathematics Department Head Doug Ulmer on being named a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society (AMS) for 2025. An esteemed honor for mathematicians, Fellows of the AMS are recognized for “outstanding contributions to the creation, exposition, advancement, communication, and utilization of mathematics.” In a given year, only 0.35% of AMS members are named a Fellow, making the title competitive in nature. One of the goals of AMS is to “make mathematicians more competitive for awards, promotion, and honors when they are being compared with colleagues from other disciplines.” (ams.org)
“The AMS does a lot to advance research and education in mathematics and to foster connections,” Doug shared, “I’ve been a member since I was a graduate student, and I’m really delighted by this honor.”
Doug’s research interests involve algebraic geometry and number theory. His involvement with the Department of Mathematics goes back to being an assistant professor in 1991. After some time at the Georgia Institute of Technology as Professor and Chair in the School of Mathematics, Doug returned to the University of Arizona in 2017 to assume the role of department head. As a member of the American Mathematical Society, Doug was also named Treasurer of the AMS. He is also on the editorial board of the Journal de Théorie des Nombres de Bordeaux, which is always in search of strong papers focused on number theory and related fields.
Looking further into his contributions to the mathematics community, Doug’s career includes 40 publications and nearly 350 citations. (mathscinet.ams.org) He also enjoys supporting students at several levels. For the last few years, he has worked with advanced undergraduates on semester-length projects in number theory and related areas. (math.arizona.edu/~ulmer) Having taught a multitude of classes at the Massachusetts, Georgia, and California Institutes of Technology as well as right here at UofA, it's no surprise that students are eager to work with him.
“Doug is widely recognized as a leading expert in the arithmetic and geometry of curves and abelian varieties over finite fields and function fields of positive characteristic,” says Mathematics Professor Bryden Cais, “His work showcases striking breadth and originality, and he has made many important contributions to number theory and arithmetic geometry. Among these, he is perhaps best known for his work on ranks of abelian varieties over function fields, and in particular for his construction of non-isotrivial elliptic curves and hyperelliptic Jacobians over function fields of arbitrarily large algebraic and analytic rank.”
In a recent interview regarding his election as Treasurer of AMS, Doug noted that since elementary school he’s had an interest in Math, seemingly good at it throughout the years leading to college. When it came time to select a major, it was an easy choice. He is happy to see his fellow department members taking more interest in building the mathematics community. “Doug embodies the ideals of excellence in mathematics championed by the AMS Fellows Program,” says acting Department Head Robert (Bob) Sims, “In addition to his distinguished mathematical career, his unwavering work ethic and exceptional service to both the department and the broader mathematical community make him a role model for junior faculty to follow.” Congrats Doug!
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See a full list of 2025 fellows HERE