Susan Ruff

Susan Ruff is a Lecturer in Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She specializes in integrating communication instruction into mathematics and engineering curricula, collaborating with faculty and TAs to teach writing, speaking, and presentation skills within disciplinary contexts.

• Current editor of MIT's CI Space and Mathematical Association of America's Mathematical Communication website
• Research focuses on mathematicians' writing practices and communication needs in engineering/software fields
• Active in developing communication-integrated pedagogy for undergraduate math seminars and courses
• Background in textbook editing, science writing, and interdisciplinary education (math, physics, graphic design)

Her recent publications analyze communication competencies required in engineering and software development contexts. She has over a decade of experience in developing mathematical communication resources and training educators, supported by NSF grants for curriculum development initiatives.

At MIT, she works with various mathematics courses including:

• Project Laboratory in Mathematics (team research communication)
• Real Analysis (proof writing and audience awareness)
• Principles of Discrete Applied Mathematics (information order and cohesion)
• Undergraduate math seminars (presentation and paper development)

Her research collaborations include Lisa Emerson (Massey University) studying mathematicians' writing practices, and Michael Carter (NCSU) analyzing communication needs in software engineering.