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Wei Ho
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Wei Ho at the Mathematical Research Institute at Oberwolfach, 2015
Citizenship United States
Alma mater
Known for Number theory
Awards
  • Sloan Research Fellowship
Scientific career
Fields Mathematics
Institutions
Thesis Orbit parametrizations of curves (2009)
Doctoral advisor Manjul Bhargava

Wei Ho is an American mathematician. She studies advanced math topics like number theory and algebraic geometry. These fields help us understand numbers and shapes in new ways.

She is currently a professor of mathematics at the University of Michigan. This means she teaches and does research there.

Early Life and Education

Wei Ho grew up in Wisconsin, a state in the United States. She went to New Berlin West High School in New Berlin. Her family raised her with Chinese traditions.

During her middle and high school years, Wei Ho loved math. She took part in many math contests. These included the Wisconsin Math League and MATHCOUNTS. She also competed in the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME).

After her first year of high school, Ho attended a special summer program. It was called the Young Scholar Summer Program (YSSP). This program was at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Wei Ho was also good at science. She did well in the US National Chemistry Olympiad. This earned her a two-week study camp. The camp was held at the US Air Force Academy. Besides academics, she played on the varsity tennis team. She also played the violin in different orchestras.

College and Beyond

In 2003, Wei Ho earned two degrees from Harvard University. She received both a master's and a bachelor's degree. While at Harvard, she wrote a big research paper. It was about a complex math idea called The Main Conjecture of Iwasawa Theory.

After Harvard, she won a special scholarship. It was called the Harvard Herchel Smith Fellowship in Science. This allowed her to study for a year in England. She went to the University of Cambridge. There, she completed a very advanced math course. It was called Part III of the Mathematical Tripos. She passed with high honors.

In 2009, Wei Ho earned her PhD in mathematics. This is the highest degree you can get. She got it from Princeton University. Her main teacher and guide was Manjul Bhargava. After her PhD, she received a special grant. It was a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. This grant helped her do more research. She worked at both Harvard and Princeton.

Career in Academia

In 2010, Wei Ho became a Joseph Fels Ritt Assistant Professor. She worked at Columbia University in New York. This was a teaching and research job.

In 2014, she joined the University of Michigan. She started as an assistant professor. In 2019, she was promoted. She became an associate professor.

Achievements and Awards

Wei Ho has achieved many impressive things. In 1994, when she was only 10 years old, she took a math test. It was part of the SAT subject tests. She scored a perfect 800. This was a very rare achievement for someone so young.

In 1999, she won a Gold Medal. She represented the United States. This was at the International Chemistry Olympiad.

In 2003, she was recognized for her math skills. The Association for Women in Mathematics honored her. She was a runner-up for the Alice T. Schafer Prize. This award celebrates excellent female math students. That same year, she won another award. It was the Herman Peries Prize. She received it for her great performance in math at Cambridge.

In 2017, Wei Ho received a Sloan Research Fellowship. This is a very respected award. It is given to promising young scientists.

In 2022, Wei Ho took on a new role. She became the director of the Women and Mathematics program. This program is at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. In 2023, she was named a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. This honor recognizes her important work in math. It also thanks her for helping the math community.

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