Joan Birman
Encyclopedia
Joan Sylvia Lyttle Birman (May 30, 1927) is an American mathematician, specializing in braid theory
and knot theory
. Her book Braids, Links, and Mapping Class Groups has become a standard introduction, with many of today's researchers having learned the subject through it. Birman is currently Research Professor Emerita at Barnard College
, Columbia University
, where she has been since 1973.
She received her Ph.D. in 1968 from the Courant Institute (NYU
) under the supervision of Wilhelm Magnus
. Her dissertation was titled Braid groups and their relationship to mapping class groups.
(1968-1973). She also was a visiting professor at Princeton University
during part of this period. In 1973, she joined the faculty at Barnard College.
In 1987 she was selected to be a Noether Lecturer. She has also been a Sloan Foundation Fellow
(1974-76) and a Guggenheim Foundation Fellow
(1994-95).
Braid theory
In topology, a branch of mathematics, braid theory is an abstract geometric theory studying the everyday braid concept, and some generalizations. The idea is that braids can be organized into groups, in which the group operation is 'do the first braid on a set of strings, and then follow it with a...
and knot theory
Knot theory
In topology, knot theory is the study of mathematical knots. While inspired by knots which appear in daily life in shoelaces and rope, a mathematician's knot differs in that the ends are joined together so that it cannot be undone. In precise mathematical language, a knot is an embedding of a...
. Her book Braids, Links, and Mapping Class Groups has become a standard introduction, with many of today's researchers having learned the subject through it. Birman is currently Research Professor Emerita at Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where she has been since 1973.
Education
Birman received her B.A. (1948) in mathematics from Barnard College and an M.A. (1950) from Columbia University.She received her Ph.D. in 1968 from the Courant Institute (NYU
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
) under the supervision of Wilhelm Magnus
Wilhelm Magnus
Wilhelm Magnus was a mathematician. He made important contributions in combinatorial group theory, Lie algebras, mathematical physics, elliptic functions, and the study of tessellations....
. Her dissertation was titled Braid groups and their relationship to mapping class groups.
Career
Birman's first position was at the Stevens Institute of TechnologyStevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology is a technological university located on a campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA – founded in 1870 with an 1868 bequest from Edwin A. Stevens. It is known for its engineering, science, and technological management curricula.The institute has produced leading...
(1968-1973). She also was a visiting professor at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
during part of this period. In 1973, she joined the faculty at Barnard College.
In 1987 she was selected to be a Noether Lecturer. She has also been a Sloan Foundation Fellow
Sloan Fellows
The Sloan Fellows program is a mid-career master's degree in general management and leadership supported by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. It is targeted at experienced managers who have already demonstrated a significant degree of career success . Alfred P...
(1974-76) and a Guggenheim Foundation Fellow
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
(1994-95).
External links
- Homepage for Joan Birman
- "Joan Birman", Biographies of Women Mathematicians, Agnes Scott CollegeAgnes Scott CollegeAgnes Scott College is a private undergraduate college in the United States. Agnes Scott's campus lies in downtown Decatur, Georgia, nestled inside the perimeter of the bustling metro-Atlanta area....