Math Professor Denis Auroux Awarded Harvard College Professorship

Denis Auroux, Herchel Smith Professor of Mathematics, was one of five faculty members awarded a Harvard College Professorship for excellence in undergraduate teaching in fields ranging from high-dimensional geometry to comparative politics. Auroux describes his teaching style as classical—lectures, plenty of homework, and office hours—and he still prefers a good old chalkboard. He seeks to guide students toward a deeper understanding of mathematics from multiple perspectives, including algebra, geometry, and analysis. Over the course of the year, he revisits the same facts from different branches of the discipline.

“I’m really honored that my teaching has been deemed worthy of this recognition,” Auroux said. “It’s one of the most rewarding aspects of my job. Harvard has so many outstanding students and I am fortunate to be able to help them on their journey into mathematics.” While he enjoys teaching all his classes both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, Auroux finds teaching Math 55 an especially unique experience “as it is such an intense class and has a tremendous impact on the students’ first-year experience.”

The Harvard College Professorship was launched in 1997 with a gift from John and Frances Loeb. Professors hold the title for five years and receive support for a research fund, summer salary, or semester of paid leave.

Read the Harvard Gazette article about Auroux and the other four professorship recipients.