Federico Ardila

Federico Ardila is a Professor of Mathematics at San Francisco State University (SFSU) and an Adjunct Professor at Universidad de los Andes in Colombia. He holds a PhD from MIT (2003) and has been at SFSU since 2005, advancing to Full Professor in 2016. His research focuses on Algebraic, Geometric, and Topological Combinatorics, with emphasis on matroids, polytopes, and their connections to algebraic geometry, topology, and applications. He is a leading advocate for inclusive mathematics education, promoting diversity through initiatives like the Encuentro Colombiano de Combinatoria and MSRI-UP.

Education: PhD (2003) and BS (1998) in Mathematics from MIT. Awards include the Premio Nacional de Matemáticas (2019), AMS Fellowship (2018), and MAA Haimo Award (2020). He has advised over 50 students, co-founded Combinatorial Theory journal, and led outreach programs to increase equity in STEM.

Research interests include matroid theory, polyhedral geometry, and algebraic structures. Recent work explores Lagrangian geometry of matroids, Hopf monoids, and applications of combinatorics to robotics. He has published over 50 articles in top journals like Journal of the AMS and Advances in Mathematics.

Teaching and service: Co-director of MSRI-UP, Agent of Change in SF BUILD, and organizer of ECCO. Advocates for Federicien principles (Axioms 1-4 on equitable mathematical spaces). Public engagement includes TEDx talks, Numberphile videos, and collaborations with institutions globally.