The research conducted by Rachel Justine Pries centers on arithmetic geometry and number theory, fields she has explored throughout her professional academic career. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1972, she has established herself as a significant presence within the American mathematical community, particularly through her work on Galois covers of curves and Jacobian varieties.
Academic Foundations
Pries attended the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School before pursuing higher education. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Brown University in 1994. She subsequently enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, completing her doctoral studies in 2000 under the supervision of David Harbater. Following this, she served as a National Science Foundation VIGRE post-doctoral fellow at Columbia University between 2000 and 2003.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Contributions to Number Theory
Upon concluding her post-doctoral fellowship, Pries joined the faculty at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she currently serves as a full professor. Her research output includes notable studies on smooth Galois covers of curves ramified over a single point, titled Families of wildly ramified covers of curves. Furthermore, she collaborated with Darren Glass on Hyperelliptic curves with prescribed p-torsion, an investigation into the existence of Jacobian varieties involving invariants such as the p-rank and a-number.
Service and Professional Recognition
Beyond her research, Pries has contributed to the mathematical community through her leadership and editorial work. She serves on the Steering Committee for Women in Number Theory and edited the 2016 Springer Verlag volume, Directions in Number Theory: Proceedings of the 2014 WIN3 Workshop. Her dedication to the field and advocacy for women in mathematics resulted in her selection as an inaugural lecturer for the Association for Women in Mathematics Distinguished Lecture Series in 2013.
Professional Honors
Pries received the Outstanding Professor in Graduate Instruction award from Colorado State University students in 2004. The American Mathematical Society elected her as a fellow in 2018, citing her contributions to arithmetic geometry and community service. In 2023, she became a fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics, recognized for her advocacy, mentorship, and her role in establishing the Women in Numbers research network.
Fast facts
- Born: 1972, Cambridge
- Citizenship: United States
- Education: Brown University (1994), University of Pennsylvania (2000)
- Current Employer: Colorado State University
- AMS Fellow: 2018
- AWM Fellow: 2023
Questions readers ask
What is the primary focus of Rachel Justine Pries' research?
Her work focuses on arithmetic geometry and number theory, specifically involving Jacobian varieties and Galois covers of curves.
Where does Rachel Justine Pries teach?
She is a professor at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Achievements
- Held posts at Colorado State University
- Fields: mathematics
