David Galvin

David Galvin is Professor and Chair of the Mathematics Department at the University of Notre Dame. His research focuses on combinatorial problems in discrete mathematics, graph theory, and discrete probability, with particular emphasis on phase transitions in statistical physics models and asymptotic behavior of combinatorial sequences. Galvin earned his DPhil from Rutgers University in 2002 under Jeff Kahn and has held positions at Microsoft Research, IAS Princeton, and UPenn.

His work develops connections between combinatorics and statistical mechanics, examining phenomena like phase coexistence in lattice models and long-range correlations in random structures. Recent projects investigate unimodality of independent set sequences, combinatorial matrix theory, and hypergraph polynomials. Galvin has received multiple fellowships including the Simons Foundation Collaboration Grant and teaching awards such as the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce Award and Shilts/Leonard Teaching Award.

He actively mentors graduate and undergraduate researchers, organizes combinatorial workshops, and serves on editorial boards. His research demonstrates sustained engagement with foundational problems in extremal combinatorics, probabilistic methods, and the interplay between discrete mathematics and physics.