Mathematician Receives Sloan Fellowship

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- University at Buffalo mathematician Xiaoqing Li has received a Sloan Research Fellowship, a prestigious award that the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation presents annually to early-career scientists and scholars in recognition of their achievement and potential to contribute to their fields.

Li is one of 118 fellows from 54 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada that the foundation announced this week. The award comes with a $50,000 grant that recipients can use on research projects of their choice.

Li, an assistant professor of mathematics, joined UB in 2006 after teaching at Columbia University and earning her PhD from Rutgers, where she studied under renowned mathematician Henyrk Iwaniec.

Li works in number theory, a branch of pure mathematics and one of the oldest areas of study within the discipline. Within number theory, she specializes in automorphic forms and L functions, which relate to topics including mathematical physics, algebra and geometry.

"The scientists and researchers selected for this year's Sloan Research Fellowships represent the very brightest rising stars of this generation of scholars," said Paul L. Joskow, president of the Sloan Foundation. "The foundation is proud to be able to support their work at this important stage in their careers."

"I'm grateful to my department for nominating me, and for the wonderful job they did in the nomination process," Li said.

Other recent support Li has received include a $120,000 research grant from the National Science Foundation and a 2009-10 von Neumann Fellowship from the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J.

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a philanthropic, not-for-profit institution that supports original research and education in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and economic performance.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.