An undergraduate at The University of Texas at Austin, Francis Edward Su graduated at the age of 19 with highest honors in mathematics. He then attended graduate studies at Harvard University, earning a Ph.D. in 1995 under the direction of Persi Diaconis. Since receiving his graduate degree, Professor Su has been a member of the Department of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, where he currently holds the position of Professor of Mathematics. He has also held visiting positions at Cornell University and at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley, California. Professor Su’s research interests include probability, specifically the study of convergence rates of random walks, and the study of the topological and combinatorial aspects of fair division problems. A strong proponent of student research, Professor Su has co-authored more than twenty papers with undergraduates.

Professor Su is a passionate and effective teacher of mathematics. His classroom teaching has been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2004 Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching from the Mathematical Association of America. His “Mudd Math Fun Facts” website has been supported with grants from the Mellon Foundation and provides a valuable web resource for teachers of mathematics at all levels. A believer in the importance of expository writing, Professor Su serves on the editorial boards of the American Mathematical Monthly and Math Horizons, and he is on the editorial board for the MAA Spectrum book series. His 1999 paper, “Rental harmony: Sperner’s lemma in fair division”, in the American Mathematical Monthly received the 2001 Merten M. Hasse Prize for expository writing.

Francis Su's Personal Home Page