Jesse Wolfson

Biography

Jesse Wolfson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of California, Irvine, where he has been a faculty member since 2017. He earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Northwestern University in 2014, with a thesis on mathematical descent theory and reciprocity laws, under the supervision of Ezra Getzler. Prior to joining UCI, Wolfson was a L.E. Dickson Instructor at the University of Chicago from 2014 to 2017 and held a visiting position at the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (IPMU) in Japan from 2013 to 2014.

Wolfson's research interests lie in algebraic geometry, topology, and their interactions with arithmetic. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, including the Duke Mathematical Journal and Transactions of the American Mathematical Society. His research has been supported by several grants from the National Science Foundation, including a CAREER award for his work on braids, resolvent degree, and Hilbert's 13th Problem. In addition to his academic research, Wolfson has contributed to the intersection of mathematics and the arts, illustrated by his involvement in projects exploring the connections between mathematics and dance.

At UCI, Wolfson teaches a range of courses from undergraduate calculus to advanced graduate seminars in his areas of expertise. He has advised numerous Ph.D. students and postdoctoral researchers, guiding them through dissertations on topics related to algebraic geometry and topology. Wolfson also actively participates in departmental and university service, including roles on the Academic Senate and various hiring and fellowship selection committees. He is a faculty mentor for the UCI chapter of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) and is involved in professional organizations such as the American Mathematical Society.

Degrees

• Ph.D. in Mathematics, Northwestern University, 2014
• M.A.St. in Mathematics (Part III), University of Cambridge, 2009
• M.S. in Mathematics, Yale University, 2008
• B.S. in Mathematics and Literature, Yale University, 2008

Distinctions

• UCI Illuminations Grant - Math and Black Dance, PI, $2,000, 2024
• NSF RTG Grant DMS-2342135 – Southern California Geometry and Topology Center, co-PI, $2,498,586, 2024
• UCI Office of the Provost Interim Covid Research and Recovery Funds, PI, $7,600, 2023
• UCI Illuminations Grant - STEM, Black culture, and Arts, PI, $3,000, 2023
• NSF CAREER Grant DMS-1944862 – Braids, Resolvent Degree and Hilbert’s 13th Problem, PI, $449,956, 2020
• NSF Grant DMS-1856737 – Arithmetic Topology (Conference Grant), PI, $27,000, 2019
• NSF Grant DMS-1811846 - Euler Products and Homological Densities via Factorization Homology, PI, $152,995, 2018
• MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions: Roosevelt Institute Campus Network, MacArthur Foundation, $750,000, 2015
• NSF Mathematical Sciences Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, sponsoring scientist: Alexander Beilinson, University of Chicago, 2014
• NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Northwestern University, 2008