Lillian Pierce facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lillian Pierce
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 20 July 1980 Fallbrook |
| Education | Bachelor of Arts, Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy |
| Alma mater | |
| Employer |
|
| Awards |
|
Lillian Beatrix Pierce is a super smart mathematician. She studies how numbers work and how they relate to patterns and waves. She is a professor at Duke University, a famous school in the United States.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Lillian Pierce grew up in Fallbrook, California. She was taught at home, which means she was home-schooled. When she was just four years old, she started playing the violin. By the time she was 11, she was good enough to play music professionally!
As a teenager, Lillian also took classes at a local college. She earned so many credits that some universities thought she was too advanced to apply as a regular freshman.
Going to Princeton University
Lillian went to Princeton University, a top school. She studied mathematics there. At first, she thought about becoming a doctor and a scientist. But her teacher, Elias M. Stein, helped her discover a love for pure mathematics. This is the study of math for its own sake, not just for how it can be used.
While at Princeton, she also worked as an intern at the National Security Agency. This is a government group that helps keep the country safe.
In 2002, Lillian was the top student at Princeton. This is called being the valedictorian. She also won a special scholarship called the Rhodes Scholarship. This scholarship lets students study at the University of Oxford in England. Her brother, Niles Pierce, had also achieved these same honors nine years earlier!
Advanced Studies
Lillian earned a master's degree from the University of Oxford in 2004. After that, she went back to Princeton to get her Ph.D. in mathematics. She finished her Ph.D. in 2009. Her main project was about "Discrete Analogues in Harmonic Analysis." Her old teacher, Elias Stein, helped her with this work.
Her Career as a Professor
After finishing her studies, Lillian worked in Oxford and Germany. Then, in 2014, she became a professor at Duke University. She is now a full professor there, which is a very important position.
Amazing Awards and Honors
Lillian Pierce has won many important awards for her math work.
- In 2018, she won the Sadosky Prize. This award recognized her research that connects different areas of math, like number theory and how waves behave.
- In 2019, she received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. This is a big award from the President of the United States for young scientists.
- In 2021, she was chosen as a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. This means she is recognized as one of the best mathematicians in her field.
Her Family Life
Lillian Pierce is married to Tobias Overath. He is also a scientist and works at Duke University. He studies the brain as a neuroscientist.
