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Boston university math program.

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 12:16 am
by teji271095
Does anyone have any idea about the (pure) math program at BU? I am interested in number theory and the department seems to be very strong. However, I don't know if the program is that well known but lot of good people have joined the number theory department recently. I am in the process of choosing a grad school and very confused about my choices. Any information about the program (especially number theory) is appreciated!

Re: Boston university math program.

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 2:05 am
by oniongood
I am also curious about BU Math Ph.D. program. My interest lies in probability and dynamical systems, and BU seems to be a good fit; so I am leaning toward accepting the offer. But I found on their website that quite a few profs are a little bit aged, like in their late 60s and 70s, and they seem to stop taking advisees for some years. Any insight about the program is appreciated!

Re: Boston university math program.

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 10:26 am
by ponchan
It might not seem strong if you're comparing it to its neighbors - MIT and Harvard. It does seem to have some younger up-and-coming people in number theory, though, particularly Jennifer Balakrishnan.

Re: Boston university math program.

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 10:33 am
by riffraff11235
ponchan wrote:It might not seem strong if you're comparing it to its neighbors - MIT and Harvard. It does seem to have some younger up-and-coming people in number theory, though, particularly Jennifer Balakrishnan.
I heard that the math departments of the schools in the Boston area are pretty well-connected.

Re: Boston university math program.

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 12:37 pm
by teji271095
Definitely not comparing to its neighbors. However, one of the Grad students did tell me that the departments in other colleges are all accessible and students can easily attend seminars and colloquia. I wanted to compare the program to schools like Indianna and Purdue, which seem to have been long well known programs. They do have 2-3 number theorists, but the Boston number theory group seems very active and all high-end young people there.

Re: Boston university math program.

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:00 pm
by ponchan
Out of those three school, if you can work with Freydoon Shahidi at Purdue, then that's the obvious choice as he's a powerhouse. He's a bit old though, so it's possible he's no longer taking students. If not, then BU is the next obvious choice out of the three given the amount of younger number theorists you could potentially work with. The proximity to other strong programs, and the possibility of attend their seminars, is an added bonus.

Re: Boston university math program.

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 8:25 pm
by djysyed
Boston University has Jared Weinstein, an associate professor who does quite a bit of work with Peter Scholze.