University of Notre Dame mathematics graduate students Tan Özalp and Fuxiang Yang have been awarded Simons Dissertation Fellowships in Mathematics by the Simons Foundation. Created to honor the legacy of foundation co-founder Jim Simons, these fellowships support doctoral students during the final two years of their Ph.D. research. Only forty awards are made across the country each year.
2026 Award Recipients
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Tan Özalp received the award for his project on ultrafilters and Ramsey theory. He is advised by Professor Natasha Dobrinen, and his research area is set theory and infinitary combinatorics.
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Fuxiang Yang received the award for his project on equations and syzygies of binary form loci. He is advised by Professor Claudiu Raicu, and his research area is algebraic geometry and commutative algebra.
With these awards, Özalp and Yang join Notre Dame mathematics doctoral student Atticus Stonestrom (advised by Professor Anand Pillay), who was named a Simons Dissertation Fellow in 2025 for his work in logic and specifically model theory.
The two-year fellowship provides recipients with research support, funding for conference and collaboration travel, and discretionary funds to enhance the department's research environment. These back-to-back honors highlight the research excellence and graduate mentorship within Notre Dame's Department of Mathematics.
Congratulations, Tan and Fuxiang!
Author: David Galvin