LSU's Pallavi Dani Receives Michler Prize

 

Pallavi Dani, LSU associate professor of mathematics, is the 2016-17 recipient of the Michler Prize of the Association for Women in Mathematics, the second faculty member in the Department of Mathematics to receive this distinguished honor.

This annual award recognizes women recently promoted to associate professor, or an equivalent position, in mathematics. The prize provides a fellowship for Dani to spend a semester at Cornell University focusing on her research without teaching obligations.

Dani is a member of the Geometric Topology Group in the Department of Mathematics. Her research focuses on geometric group theory, an area of mathematics devoted to the study of finitely generated groups exploring the connections between algebraic properties of such groups and topological and geometric properties of spaces on which these groups act.

”The Cornell Mathematics Department is a strong center for research in geometric group theory.  This exciting opportunity will enable me to forge new directions in my research,” said Dani.

Dani received a bachelor of science in Mathematics from the University of Mumbai, India, in 1999. She went on to pursue graduate studies in mathematics at the University of Chicago, obtaining a MS in 2001 and a PhD in 2005. Dani also conducted postdoctoral work at the University of Oklahoma and Emory University.

“We are very excited to have a Michler Prize winner in the College of Science. Dr. Dani joins the ranks of hundreds of women scientists who are paving the way for more innovative and cutting edge discoveries,” said Cynthia Peterson, dean of the College of Science and Seola Arnaud and Richard Vernon Edwards Jr. Professor.

 

About the Michler Prize:

The Ruth I. Michler Memorial Prize of the Association for Women in Mathematics provides a fellowship for the awardee to spend a semester in the Mathematics Department of Cornell University without teaching obligations.  The primary selection criteria for the Michler Prize are the excellence of the candidate's research and the potential benefit to the applicant of a semester in the Mathematics Department at Cornell.  

Recently promoted associate professors face many challenges as they prepare to take on greater leadership in research and in the profession. The Ruth I. Michler Memorial Prize honors outstanding women at this stage of their careers and enables them to focus on their research.