Laura Schaposnik

I am a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Illinois Chicago and Director of the AI+Math Initiative at Equitech Futures. My research spans pure and applied mathematics, from Higgs bundles, moduli spaces, and mathematical physics to network dynamics, optimization, and data-informed models of complex systems.

Collaboration and mentoring are central to my work. Alongside my research, I build initiatives and resources that create opportunities for discovery: from student research programs and mathematical communities to children’s books and creative STEM projects.

---

---

---

Initiatives

AI + Mathematics

As Director of the AI+Math Initiative at Equitech Futures, I bring together mathematicians, educators, and AI researchers to explore how artificial intelligence can support mathematical discovery and help identify and develop emerging mathematical talent. Our focus is on the human judgment that guides this work: asking meaningful questions, developing proof strategies, and critically evaluating AI-generated arguments.

Student Research Fellowships

I founded the Global Institute for Mathematical Science (GIMS), which supports student research through fellowships for semester- or year-long projects.

---

Academic Background

I received my degree of Licenciada en Matemáticas from the University of La Plata under the supervision of Jorge Solomin, and my DPhil from the University of Oxford under the supervision of Nigel Hitchin. I was then a postdoctoral researcher at Heidelberg University in Anna Wienhard’s group and at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Steve Bradlow’s group. I moved to Chicago to take up a faculty position at UIC in 2015. I live with my family in downtown Chicago.

Visiting Appointments

During the Fall 2018 I was a Visiting Fellow at New College, Oxford visiting faculty member at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford. During the Spring 2019, I was an visiting member of the SCGP and organizer of a semester on the Geometry and Physics of Hitchin Systems systems. During the Summer 2019 I was a Humboldt Fellow at Freie Universitat Berlin. During the Fall 2019 I was a Research Member at MSRI within the semester on Holomorphic Differentials in Mathematics and Physics . During the Fall 2022 I was a visiting professor at the Department of Mathematics of the University of California, Berkeley, and a Research Professor at MSRI, Berkeley, USA, organizing a semester on Analytic and Geometric Aspects of Gauge Theory . During the Spring 2023 I was a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford , and a visiting member of the Mathematical Institute, at the University of Oxford. During the summer 2023 I was in Paris, partly as a visiting member of the Institut Henri Poincaré, as part of their Visiting Pairs Program. During the Fall 2026 I was a visiting faculty member at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, and a visiting fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford.

Research Affiliations

I am a founding core member of AIRSHIP Lab at UIC, directed by Prof. James Unwin, and of the Laboratory for Quantum Theory at the Extremes (LQuTE), directed by Prof. Tom Imbo. These communities bring together researchers across disciplines to explore AI in science and fundamental questions in theoretical and mathematical physics.

Editorial and Leadership Roles

I serve on the editorial boards of Notices of the AMS and Geometriae Dedicata. I am also a member of the Scientific Research Board of the American Institute of Mathematics (AIM) and, since 2026, the Governing Board of the Institute of the Mathematical Sciences of the Americas (IMSA). Beginning in 2027, I will serve on the American Mathematical Society's Committee on Science Policy.

Research Support

My research at UIC has been supported by the following sources: NSF FRG Award DMS- 2152107 (PI), 2022-2027; Simons Fellowship (PI), 2022-2023; NSF CAREER Award DMS 1749013 (PI), 2018-2027; Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (PI), 2017-2019; NSF Award DMS 1611835 (PI), 2015-2019;

---

Explore My Projects

I enjoy creating opportunities to discover, learn, and explore: through children’s books, creative STEM activities, interactive mathematical resources, and guides to places that matter to me. Here are a few starting points.

---

Photo credit: Max Telford, All Souls' Visiting Fellows Farewell night, June 2023.