Christina Sormani facts for kids

Christina Sormani is a brilliant mathematician who teaches at the City University of New York. She works at Lehman College and the CUNY Graduate Center. She is famous for her studies in Riemannian geometry (which is about the shapes and curves of spaces), metric geometry (how to measure distances in different spaces), and Ricci curvature (a way to describe how curved a space is). She also developed a special way to measure distances called the intrinsic flat distance.

Christina Sormani's Career Journey

Christina Sormani earned her Ph.D. (a high-level university degree) from New York University in 1996. Her main teacher was Jeff Cheeger. After that, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University. A postdoctoral researcher is someone who does more research after getting their Ph.D. Today, Professor Sormani is a Full Professor of Mathematics at Lehman College. She is also a member of the doctoral faculty at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Christina Sormani has received many important awards for her work in mathematics.

Recognitions for Her Work

• In 2009, she was invited to speak at the Geometry Festival. This is a special event where mathematicians share their new ideas.
• In 2015, she received the Service Award from the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM). She was honored for helping to plan and organize AWM activities. These activities took place at the Joint Mathematics Meetings, a big gathering for mathematicians.
• Also in 2015, Sormani became a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. This is a high honor for mathematicians. She was recognized for her research in geometry, especially her work on Ricci curvature. She was also praised for helping and guiding younger mathematicians, especially those from groups not often seen in math.
• In 2024, Sormani was chosen as an Association for Women in Mathematics Fellow. She received this honor for always finding ways to help more women and students get into mathematics. She created and kept up online resources with advice and information about women mathematicians. She also organized a lecture series called "Inspiring Talks by Mathematicians," which featured speakers from under-represented groups. Her strong and active contributions to the AWM were also highlighted.