Professor Stefan Erickson
Years at the college: 2008 - Present
B.A. Rice University 1999
M.A. University of California, San Diego 2001
Ph.D. University of California, San Diego 2005
Stefan Erickson joined the department in a visiting position, but soon was offered and accepted a tenure track position. He came with an almost overwhelming passion for number theory; his graduate advisor was Harold Stark who made several key conjectures in number theory that continued to drive active research. To Erickson, studying the Fibonacci numbers and sharing their structure with students is tantamount to a religious experience. In keeping with the digital revolutions, his interest in number theory led to an interest in cryptography, especially elliptic functions.
In keeping with the high standards for teaching in the department, Erickson developed into an outstanding teacher and brought a particularly infectious passion for mathematics to his classroom.
He also worked with students outside the curriculum on research projects, Putnam preparation, and game theory. That is, his interest and skill in poker led to a half-block course that attracted students to the study of probability and combinatorics. Erickson was a driving force behind an interdisciplinary course titled The World of Numbers which introduced first year students to the history and patterns of mathematics.
As an active member of the department, Erickson is a frequent presenter in the Friday seminar series. In his off time, Erickson enjoys travel and has a strong dedication to Zen meditation.