The U.S. National Science Foundation is investing over $74 million in six research institutes focused on the mathematical sciences and their broad applications in all fields of science, technology and many industries.
For over 40 years, NSF has funded Mathematical Sciences Research Institutes to serve as catalysts for U.S. research in mathematics and statistics and to produce mathematical innovations to rapidly address new and emerging challenges and opportunities. The institutes collectively investigate a wide range of mathematical research areas with potential impacts, including better patient outcomes in hospital emergency rooms, enhanced safety of semiautonomous vehicles, and detection of exoplanets using quantum physics. Previous research conducted at the institutes has had broad impacts, such as improved speed and accuracy of MRI imaging and the development of mathematical foundations of artificial intelligence-based technologies.
"From underpinning new encryption standards that will protect our information from quantum computers to navigating the intricate global supply chains that enable manufacturing and trade, the mathematical sciences are a driving force behind countless aspects of our national security, economy and quality of life," says NSF Assistant Director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences David Berkowitz. "The NSF Mathematical Sciences Research Institutes will continue to empower U.S. mathematical scientists to punch into promising new areas of exploration."
Reflecting the universal usefulness of the mathematical sciences, the institutes have partnered with and received support from a broad range of public and private organizations, including the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, the Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Advanced Micro Devices, IBM, Microsoft, the Gates Foundation, the Simons Foundation and many others.
In addition to conducting fundamental research, the institutes will provide training and mentorship to thousands of students and early-career researchers who will become the next generation of leaders in the mathematical and statistical research workforce.
The NSF Mathematical Sciences Research Institutes are:
- American Institute of Mathematics (link is external) at the California Institute of Technology.
- Institute for Computer-Aided Reasoning in Mathematics at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania.
- Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (link is external) at Brown University in Rhode Island.
- Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation (link is external) at the University of Chicago in partnership with Northwestern University, the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
- Institute for Advanced Study School of Mathematics (link is external) in New Jersey.
- Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (link is external) in California.
