nyu courant undergraduate research

Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences

Guido dephilippis named 2021 simons investigator..

Further information is available here . Congratulations!

Jeff Cheeger awarded the 2021 Shaw Prize in Mathematical Sciences

For more information, read the press release here . Congratulations, Jeff!

National Academy of Sciences

Yann LeCun has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences . Congratulations!

American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Nader Masmoudi has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Congratulations!

NYU Courant Mourns the Loss of Professor Andrew J. Majda

Please click here to read more about Andy.

NYU Courant Mourns the Loss of Professor Jerry Percus

Please click here to read more about Jerry.

NSF CAREER award.

Benjamin Peherstorfer has received an NSF CAREER Award . Congratulations!

Sylvia Serfaty elected to the European Academy of Sciences

Congratulations, Sylvia!

Jeff Cheeger to receive an honorary degree from the University of Chicago

Jeff is one of six distinguished scholars who will receive the honorary degree in 2021. Further information can be found here .

Eric Vanden-Eijnden named a Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellow

Congratulations to Eric Vanden-Eijnden on being selected by the Department of Defense (DOD) to receive this highly competitive fellowship in recognition of his research on the "Mathematical Foundation and Scientific Applications of Machine Learning." For further information, click here.

Legion of Honor

Yann LeCun has been named a Knight of the Legion of Honor. Congratulations!

Official announcement

Article in Paris Match

Gerard Ben Arous and Lai-Sang Young elected to the National Academy of Sciences

For further information see the official announcement

Sloan Fellowship

Daniele Panozzo has been awarded a Sloan Fellowship for his work in solving partial differential equations on complex geometrical domains. Congratulations!

More information can be found here

Yann LeCun, receives the ACM A.M. Turing Award!

Congratulations, Yann!

See the NYU press release for more information.

NYU Courant Mourns the Loss of Professor Louis Nirenberg

February 28, 1925 - January 26, 2020

Plans for a memorial are on hold due to the COVID-19 situation. In the meantime, please click here to read about Louis' outstanding life and career.

2019 Holiday Lecture

Steven Strogatz, Cornell University

Infinite Powers: The Story of Calculus

Friday, December 13

Vlad Vicol is a recipient of the 2019 Clay Research Award

Vlad Vicol received the 2019 Clay Research Award, along with Tristan Buckmaster and Philip Isett

For further information, please read the CMI citation .

NYU Courant mourns the loss of alum Dr. Burt Morse

Dr. Morse earned his doctoral degree in Mathematics from NYU Courant in 1963.

For further information, please read the obituary of Dr. Morse .

Silver Professor Margaret Wright is the recipient of the John von Neumann Prize

Congratulations, Margaret!

Two Courant faculty invited to speak at the 2019 ICIAM

Marsha Berger and Sylvia Serfaty have been invited to speak at the 2019 International Congress of Industrial and Applied Mathematics in Valencia, Spain.

Denis Zorin receives ACM Computer Graphics Achievement Award

Denis Zorin has received the 2019 Computer Graphics Achievement Award "in recognition of his fundamental contributions to computer graphics and geometric modeling."

Congratulations!

Joan Bruna and Leif Ristroph receive CAREER Awards

Joan Bruna and Leif Ristroph are recipients of National Science Foundation CAREER Awards!

Congratulations to Joan and to Leif!

Marsha Berger awarded Norbert Wiener Prize

Marsha Berger will be awarded the 2019 Norbert Wiener Prize in Applied Mathematics for her fundamental contributions to adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) and to Cartesian mesh techniques for automating the simulation of compressible flows in complex geometry. Congratulations, Marsha!

Julia Kempe elected to Academia Europaea

Congratulations to Julia Kempe, Director of the NYU Center for Data Science and Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics, on being elected as a Member of Academia Europaea (The Academy of Europe)!

Sylvia Serfaty named a Simons Investigator

Congratulations to Sylvia Serfaty on being named a 2018 Simons Investigator!

For further information, please see the list of Simons Investigator awardees .

Olof Widlund named 2019 AMS Fellow

Olof Widlund, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science & Mathematics has been named a 2019 Fellow of the American Mathematical Society . Congratulations, Olof!

Paul Bourgade, Poincaré Chair laureate

Paul Bourgade has been selected as one of two laureates of the Poincaré Chair for the academic year 2018/2019. Congratulations, Paul!

Serfaty, Shelley, and Zeitouni elected to AMACAD

Professors Sylvia Serfaty, Michael Shelley, and Ofer Zeitouni have been elected as members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AMACAD). For more information, please see the press release from the Academy.

Jeff Cheeger awarded Steele Prize

Silver Professor of Mathematics, Jeff Cheeger, has received the 2019 Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement for his fundamental contributions to geometric analysis and their far-reaching influence on related areas of mathematics. Congratulations, Jeff!

Brandon Seward awarded 2018 Brin Prize

Congratulations to Brandon Seward on receiving the 2018 Michael Brin Dynamical Systems Prize for Young Mathematicians .

Percy Deift receives 2018 Henri Poincaré Prize

Percy Deift has been awarded the 2018 Henri Poincaré Prize. Congratulations, Percy!

For further information, please see the official Henri Poincaré Prize page .

Oded Regev receives Gödel Prize

Oded Regev has been awarded the 2018 Gödel Prize for his 2005 paper, "On lattices, learning with errors, random linear codes, and cryptography."

2018 Sloan Fellows

Congratulations to our 2018 Sloan Fellows: Miranda Holmes-Cerfon, Afonso Bandeira, and Joan Bruna!

For further information, see the Sloan Foundation website .

Nader Masmoudi receives Fermat Prize

Nader Masmoudi has been awarded the 2017 Fermat Prize by the Institut de Mathématiques de Toulouse for "his very deep and creative work in the field of nonlinear partial differential equations." Congratulations!

Patrick Cousot awarded John von Neumann Medal

Sylvain cappell to receive ams award for public service.

Congratulations to Sylvain Cappell, recipient of the 2018 AMS Award for Distinguished Public Service ! Sylvain will officially receive the award on January 11, 2018 at the Joint Mathematics Meeting in San Diego.

Congratulations to Kyunghyun Cho, who represents NYU as 1 of 15 CIFAR Azreli Global Scholars!

For further information, please see the press release .

Four Courant faculty to speak at the 2018 ICM

Paul Bourgade , Nader Masmoudi , Sylvia Serfaty , and Lai-Sang Young have been invited to speak at the 2018 International Congress of Mathematicians in Rio.

Subhash Khot elected Fellow of the Royal Society

Subhash Khot has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society for his outstanding contribution to science.

Please click here for more information from the Royal Society.

Yann LeCun elected to NAE

Yann LeCun has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering "for developing convolutional neural networks and their applications in computer vision and other areas of artificial intelligence."

Louis Nirenberg awarded the 2015 Abel Prize

Louis Nirenberg and John Nash have been awarded the 2015 Abel Prize "for striking and seminal contributions to the theory of nonlinear partial differential equations and its applications to geometric analysis."

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NYU Center for Data Science

Harnessing Data’s Potential for the World

CDS-Courant Undergraduate Research Program (CURP)

PROGRAM DATES: JANUARY 24 – MAY 18, 2022 LOCATION: RESEARCH PROJECTS WILL TAKE PLACE REMOTELY FELLOWSHIP AWARD: $3,500 APPLICATION DEADLINE: OCTOBER 31, 2021

The NYU Center for Data Science

The Center for Data Science (CDS) is the focal point for New York University’s university-wide efforts in Data Science. The Center was established in 2013 to advance NYU’s goal of creating a world-leading Data Science training and research facility, and arming researchers and professionals with the tools to harness the power of Big Data. Today, CDS counts 20 jointly appointed interdisciplinary faculty housed on three floors of our magnificent 60 5th Avenue building, one of New York City’s historic properties. It is home to a top-ranked MS in Data Science program, one of the first PhD programs in Data Science, and a new undergraduate program in Data Science, as well as a lively Fellow and Postdoctoral program. It has over 70 associate and affiliate faculty from 25 departments in 9 schools and units. With cross-disciplinary research and innovative educational programs, CDS is shaping the new field of Data Science.

2024 Capstone Project

In the final year of their program, CDS master’s students have the unique opportunity to solve real-world problems through the CDS Capstone Project. The course is designed to apply knowledge into practice and to develop and improve critical skills such as problem-solving and collaboration. Students are matched with research labs within the NYU community as well as industry partners to investigate pressing issues.

Data Science for Everyone: Book & Video Series

The universality of data science as a discipline is highlighted with the introduction of a comprehensive textbook and accompanying video series, building upon the foundation laid by the esteemed “Data Science for Everyone” course. These educational materials provide extensive coverage on critical concepts ranging from “how to think like a data scientist” to core subjects such as statistics, programming, and machine learning approaches.

Free Online Resource: Yann LeCun’s Deep Learning Course

Yann LeCun’s Deep Learning Course covers the latest techniques in both deep learning and representation learning, focusing on supervised/self-supervised learning, embedding methods, metric learning, convolutional and recurrent nets, with applications to computer vision, natural language understanding, and speech recognition.

Free Online Resource: Mathematical Tools for Data Science

Mathematical Tools for Data Science, developed by CDS Associate Professor Carlos Fernandez-Granda, provides an introduction to tools from several areas of mathematics such as linear algebra, Fourier analysis, probability theory, and convex optimization, which are useful in data science.

CDS Shines at NeurIPS 2023

Celebrating Success: CDS MS Graduates Forge Impressive Paths in Data Science

Micah Goldblum’s Survey Offers a Deeper Look Into Deep Learning

Hiring Clinical Faculty for 2024: Interview with current CDS Clinical Assistant Professor Louis Mittel

Upcoming events, events in may–august 2024.

Research Overview

NYU CS department seeks to create a highly stimulating environment that engages the best and brightest faculty and students to conduct deep and impactful research. The NYU CS department is a core part of the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences , one of the most prestigious mathematical sciences research institutes in the world.

Our faculty research expertise and strengths cover several key areas in computer science including: algorithms and theory of computation, computational biology, formal methods and verification, graphics, machine learning, natural language and speech processing, networking, operating systems and distributed systems, scientific computing, user interfaces and vision. Our faculty have won many honors including: the ACM Turing Award, IMU Ralf Nevanlinna Prize, Academy Award for Technical Achievement, NSF Alan Waterman award, Guggenheim Fellowship, Humboldt prize, Microsoft Faculty Fellowship, 14 NSF CAREER awards, 6 Sloan Fellowships, two fellows of the National Academy of Engineering, two fellows of the National Academy of Sciences, two fellows in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one fellow in the European Academy of Sciences, one member of the Academia Europaea and several fellows in ACM, IEEE, AAAS, AMS, IMA, INFORMS, SIAM and ACS.

Many of our undergraduate and Masters students engage in a wide spectrum of research, educational and entrepreneurial activities and after graduation, have joined many of the leading technology companies, startups, media companies and financial companies in New York City and other parts of the US. Our Ph.D program has produced highly successful researchers and technology leaders who are now well placed in academia, research labs, industry and startups. Several high profile startups led by our faculty and student alumni have emerged from our department. Our students have won several competitive awards including International Collegiate Programming Contest world finalists, fellowships from Fulbright, Microsoft Research, AT&T, Google, IBM, Facebook, NSF, NDSEG, NSERC and several best paper awards at top CS conferences.

Located in the heart of New York City, we foster strong research collaborations with several top technology, media and financial firms including Google, Facebook, IBM, Microsoft, AT&T, Bell Labs, NEC, Disney, Lucas Films, Samsung, Qualcomm, Amazon etc. NYU is also situated at the heart of the startup scene in NYC with a large number of technology startups within a 1 mile radius.

Faculty Profile

Yuri Bakhtin

Research interests.

Random dynamics, probabilistic models of mathematical physics.

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Geometric Analysis and Topology Seminar

Approximation of convex functions.

Speaker: Piotr Hajlasz, University of Pittsburgh

Location: Warren Weaver Hall 512

Date: Friday, May 17, 2024, 11 a.m.

It has been known for at least thirty years, that convex functions have the {\em $C^2$-Lusin property}, meaning that if $u:\mathbb{R}^n\to\mathbb{R}$ is convex, then for every $\varepsilon>0$, there is a function $v\in C^2(\mathbb{R}^n)$ such that $|\{u\neq v\}|<\varepsilon$. However, in general, $v$ cannot be convex (there are counterexmples). The problem of approximating a convex function by $C^2$-convex functions in the Lusin sense has remained unresolved since the nineties.

In the talk I will discuss recent results about approximation of convex functions by $C^{1,1}_{\rm loc}$ convex functions and approximation of locally strongly convex functions by $C^2$-locally strongly convex functions, both uniformly and in the Lusin sense. 

As a byproduct of the methods, I will show a new and very simple proof of the Alexandrov theorem about second order differentiability of convex functions.

Salute 2024

Salute is an affectionate farewell tribute from the faculty and staff of the tisch school of the arts to the graduating class..

Unlike typical graduation ceremonies, where students are called to the stage individually, Salute instead celebrates our students’ achievements through live performances. The show features words of wisdom from our dean, a distinguished keynote speaker, a member of the graduating class, and department chairs. The Tisch Salute to the Class of 2024 will take place on  Friday, May 17th at 11AM at Radio City Music Hall.

HONORED SPEAKER: Billy Crystal '70 (BFA, Film and TV, Tisch), Hon. '16, Dean's Council

Photo: Bonnie Schiffman

Tony   and Emmy Award winning comedian, actor, producer, writer, and director BILLY CRYSTAL is known around the world as the star of such feature films as  When Harry Met Sally …,  City Slickers,  and  Analyze This ; as a cast member of NBC’s  Saturday Night Live,  which earned him his first Emmy nomination; and as the acclaimed nine-time host of the Academy Awards®. Crystal has hosted the GRAMMY® Awards three times and earned 5 Emmys for his work as host, writer and producer on both shows. Crystal won his 6 th  Emmy for the HBO Comedy Special  Billy Crystal: Midnight Train to Moscow.  In 2023, he was the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor, the highest honor The United States gives for the arts.

Crystal, alongside Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg, served as co-host of Comic Relief’s televised fundraising events on HBO. Through specials broadcast between 1986 and 2008, Comic Relief raised $75 million dollars to help supply medical aid to the homeless.   Crystal was the 2007 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and is a New York Times best-selling author of 5 books. In 2004, Crystal made his Broadway debut with the original production of his one-man show  700 Sundays , for which he won a Tony Award. The Broadway production was released as an HBO special, garnering 4 Emmy Nominations. In 2022, Crystal returned to Broadway with  Mr. Saturday Night , a musical adaptation of the 1992 classic film  Mr. Saturday Night . The show got rave reviews and received 5 Tony nominations including Best Musical; Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Crystal; and Best Book of a Musical which was written by Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel; and one GRAMMY nomination for Best Musical Theatre Album which featured 8 songs sung by Crystal. 

Crystal recently completed production on a limited series for Apple TV+, “Before,” a psychological thriller which co-stars Judith Light and Rosie Perez. He lives in Los Angeles and New York with Janice, his wife of 53 years. They have two daughters, Jennifer and Lindsay, and four grandchildren, Ella, Dylan, Hudson, and Griffin.

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NYU Shanghai Celebrates the Class of 2024’s Graduation

On Sunday, May 19, the Grand Theater at Shanghai’s BOCOM New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center was filled with an audience of supportive families and friends cheering on the Class of 2024 as they claimed their place in NYU Shanghai history. At the University's eighth commencement ceremony, over 400 graduates from 29 countries, including six study away students from NYU in New York and 243 Chinese students from 28 provinces across China, accepted NYU bachelor's degrees and NYU Shanghai diplomas—symbols of their perseverance, growth, and global connection.

The graduates in Shanghai were joined by over 1400 family members, including some 654 family members of international students who flew in from over 25 countries.

World-famous basketball legend Yao Ming, president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and founder of the Yao Foundation, was in attendance as this year’s commencement speaker. After being presented with NYU Shanghai’s Chancellor Medal of Honor by Chancellor Tong Shijun, Yao addressed the Class of 2024, urging them  to bravely forge ahead and follow their dreams rather than be hindered by fears of failure.

Yao offered a sports analogy to encourage the graduates. “On the basketball court, the simplest way to avoid making mistakes is to hold onto the ball, do nothing, or pass it to a teammate,” said Yao. “This way, you'll avoid errors, but you'll never score. The same principle applies to life. No matter how foolish your decisions may be or how reckless your actions are, the biggest mistake is to stand still and do nothing.”

“Graduates, from today onwards, you are about to embark on a new journey,” he added. “It is a journey filled with unknowns, constant changes, and a mix of disappointments and surprises. On this journey, there are no surefire shortcuts. What matters most is to take each step bravely. When we look back, behind every shining moment, there are countless footprints of trial and error. At this moment, I challenge you. Make a mistake and let it cheer you on.”

At the ceremony, the torch bearer and banner bearer were selected from members of the Student Commencement Committee, as per NYU Shanghai tradition. This year’s torch bearer was Jennifer Yao Wushuang ’24, who served as chair of the Student Commencement Committee Chair and Senior Class Representative. She passed the torch to Korrina Pointdexter-Benbow ’25, the incoming president of Student Government. The banner bearer was Anna Ferraris di Celle ’24, who was this year’s Student Commencement Committee’s director of alumni and fundraising.

International student representative Christine Yosephin Wijaya ’24, of Jakarta, Indonesia, who graduated with a double major in Business and Finance and Social Science (Political Science track), spoke about the resilience and adaptability of NYU Shanghai students who navigated uncertainty with a spirit of adventure and found ways to build community and a sanctuary of joy during hard times over the past four years.

“Our time at NYU Shanghai has offered more than just a reprieve from the challenges of the outside world. It has equipped us with diverse skills and perspectives that will serve us well in the years to come,” she said. “We have learned to be adaptable, reframing the challenges we faced over the previous years into feasible solutions and learning how to lean in and support one another in our different journeys. From navigating cultural nuances to collaborating across borders, we have honed our abilities to thrive in an interconnected global landscape.”

Chinese student representative Li Yutong ’24 of Suzhou, China, described how the Class of 2024 faced changes and challenges along their journey with a sense of hope and optimism. A double major in Business and Finance and Social Science (Urban Studies track), Li said NYU Shanghai’s classrooms were a place to develop global perspectives, push boundaries, take on leadership and service roles, and empower dreams. 

“As we move forward with these paths, may we bring a sense of courage and determination that has characterized our time in NYU Shanghai to our individualized fields,” she said to her fellow classmates. “May we bring change and light to various communities we find ourselves in.”

In their speeches, NYU Shanghai leadership used the opportunity to give one last “lesson” to the graduating class and express their wishes for the lives they will pursue beyond NYU Shanghai.

Chancellor Tong Shijun spoke from the heart about learning together with the graduates and the role the Class of 2024 has played in his own development as chancellor over the past four years. He reminded them that they will be seen as role models for the graduating classes behind them.

“From today on you will be seen by all undergraduate college students and those younger as someone to be imitated or followed; from today on, that is to say, you will often need to explain to anybody who has not yet attended a commencement ceremony like this why you do this but not that. Whether you will be able to give your explanations all the way along your life from now on is, in my view, the most important game you will play in the future.”

Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman issued a call to action to the graduating class, exhorting them to recognize the power each of them has to change the world for the better. Then he shared his wishes for the graduates as they step out into the world .  “May you be the Mirrors that can help others to see the world in healthy and constructive new ways,” he said. “May you know enough bad weather that you never take sunshine for granted, and enough good weather that your faith in the coming of spring is never shaken.”

Provost Joanna Waley-Cohen offered the graduates a meditation on what lies at the heart of humanity, and the human characteristics that ultimately distinguish us from machines. She sent them off with a wish to look for the humanity in themselves and others. 

"I hope you will always remember what it means to be human, that you will constantly put into practice and cultivate those four tightly interwoven human qualities of empathy, creativity, humor and ethical judgment,” she said. “I sincerely hope that in the realization of your humanity and of everything you have learned, you will stay tightly connected to one another, to NYU Shanghai, and in new ways yet to be imagined. That is how you are going to make a wonderful, positive difference in the world around you, wherever you may find yourselves.”

NYU President Linda Mills shared with the graduates the moving story of her Austrian family members who, when faced with the dangers of Nazi expansion throughout Europe in the lead up to to World War II, grasped an opportunity to escape and found a safe haven in Shanghai, thanks to the humanitarian efforts of a Chinese diplomat, Ho Feng Shan. 

"It is deeply heartening that at NYU Shanghai you too embody this spirit of bridging divides, taking risks, and developing a deep and abiding sense of our shared humanity,” she said. “You learn these skills in the classroom; through roommate assignments; when you study at other global sites; or even when you have a chance meeting with a student, walking along the waterfront."

She continued, framing for the graduating class the significance of their role as students at an international Sino-American institution during this day and age. 

"Today, the relationship between East and West has rarely been as important as it is now,” she said. “Where others doubted that Western universities in China could thrive, NYU saw possibilities. You are a living testament to our success."

As the Class of 2024 take their first steps into the “real world,” many will continue their studies at educational institutions including Harvard University, MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, NYU, Columbia, Yale, UPenn, Oxford, and as a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University. Others will join the workforce as they begin their careers at corporations like L’Oreal, Unilever, UBS, Bytedance, PwC, or volunteering through the Peace Corps and Teach for America.

Watch: Class of 2024 Tribute Video

NYU Shanghai Senior Awards 

Senior Spotlights : Mia Trinh ’24 Wang Yuhan ’24 Celia Forster ’24 Gustave Li Hongzhou ’24 Shreesh Tripathi '24 You Yiting ’24

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Invent change: the endless frontier labs at nyu stern graduated its 2023-2024 cohort of startups and alumna elizabeth elting (mba ’92) awarded funding to cooler heads, vivtex, and moody month as part of the elizabeth elting venture fund.