Lauren Williams gives Math Department a dose of algebraic combinatorics
When she arrived at Harvard as a member of the Class of 2000, Lauren Williams knew she liked math, but she wasn’t certain about making a career of it. These days, her mind is made up. Williams, who grew up in Los Angeles, is the second woman to be tenured in Harvard’s Math Department and the Seaver Professor at the Radcliffe Institute. She comes to campus from the University of California, Berkeley. Williams focuses on algebraic combinatorics. She will teach one course this semester, a first-year seminar titled “The Story of the Alternating Sign Matrix Conjecture.” Q&A Lauren Williams GAZETTE: How does it feel to be back here as a member of the faculty? WILLIAMS: It’s exciting to be back again. I had a wonderful time here as an undergraduate. In fact, I remember that midway through my sophomore year, I thought to myself, “Oh no, nearly half of my time at Harvard is over.” I had no...