Christopher Hacon appointed to McMinn

Chair in Mathematics

Last July, University of Utah President Taylor Randall reappointed Distinguished Professor Christopher Hacon as the Trevor James McMinn Professor in the Department of Mathematics. Hacon held the inaugural McMinn Chair for five years, a term that ended last June.

The McMinn Chair is a five-year appointment. Only one faculty member in the department may hold the appointment at a time, and in exceptional cases, the current professorship holder may be considered for reappointment.

Christopher Hacon, Distinguished Professor

Born in England and raised in Italy, Hacon arrived at the U as a postdoctoral scholar in 1998 and came back as a Professor in 2002. He is particularly interested in objects that exist in more than three dimensions. He and his colleagues have applied studies of these objects to extend the “minimal model program”—a foundational principle of algebraic geometry—into higher dimensions. The American Mathematical Society has lauded their work as “a watershed in algebraic geometry.”

Hacon has been honored with numerous prestigious distinctions, including his 2019 election to The Royal Society of London; the 2018 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics; the 2016 EH Moore Research Article Prize; the 2015 Distinguished Scholarly and Creative Research Award from the University of Utah; the 2011 Antonio Feltrinelli Prize in Mathematics, Mechanics, and Applications; the 2009 Frank Nelson Cole Prize in Algebra; and the 2007 Clay Research Award. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a fellow of the American Mathematical Society, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Annie Giokas

I started as an international transfer student from Georgia, a country in the Caucasus. I was nervous about adjusting to a new environment and, in addition, the pandemic started during my first semester at the University of Utah. Thankfully, understanding professors in the Department of Mathematics encouraged me, and the friendly attitudes of my peers helped motivate me.

Many say the easiest way to get into research as an undergraduate is ask their instructors for research opportunities. Unfortunately, transfer students get limited time to interact with their professors. I knew I had to make use of resources offered by the Math Department to the fullest. The turning point for me was during an independent study on the topic of commutative algebra. I knew then and there I wanted to pursue graduate studies on that topic. This led me to my Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)-funded thesis and another research project supported by a Research Training Grant. Participating in undergraduate research helped me gain skills as an independent thinker and the courage to improve at public speaking after presenting at multiple conferences.

I started the Math Club at the U to establish a space for undergrads to discuss mathematics and have a platform for presenting topics they are passionate about. The pandemic made it hard to organize large-scale in-person events, which is why the organizing committee made an online platform for students to connect. It was fulfilling to see people connect with others whom they don’t usually interact with.

I continued my funded research project last summer, then I began my Ph.D. at Purdue University. I have been very privileged to get the chance to work with amazing people. The University of Utah gave me the skills and support that I needed to succeed in my chosen career.