Gloria Marí Beffa

Gloria Marí Beffa is a Professor of Mathematics and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Letters and Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has served on the faculty since 1997, progressing from Assistant Faculty Associate to Professor (2010-present), while holding significant administrative roles including Mathematics Department Chair (2014-2018) and current Associate Dean for Research since 2023.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Minnesota (1991) supervised by Jack F. Conn, and dual Licenciatura degrees from the University of Málaga, Spain (1985).

Marí Beffa's research centers on geometric foundations of integrable systems, with pioneering work on discrete moving frames, pentagram map generalizations, and Poisson structures. Her investigations bridge continuous and discrete geometries, focusing on differential invariants, projective/parabolic geometries, and applications to image processing. This interdisciplinary approach reveals deep connections between algebraic structures and geometric evolution equations.

Analysis of her recent publications (2011-2024) shows consistent innovation in discrete integrable systems, particularly through geometric realizations of W-algebras and Hamiltonian structures for polygon evolutions. Her work demonstrates how discrete moving frames generate novel integrable hierarchies while maintaining geometric invariance.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Letters and Science Academic Staff Excellence Mid-Career Award (2006)
• Letters and Science Faculty Advising Award (2007-08)
• Philip R. Certain Award for research/teaching/service (2011-12)
• Simons Fellowship (2012-13)

As an educator, Marí Beffa has mentored numerous students (evidenced by her advising award) and secured significant research support including the Simons Fellowship. Her administrative leadership spans departmental chairmanship and current oversight of college-wide research initiatives as Associate Dean. She maintains active collaborations with international researchers including Anton Izosimov and Elizabeth Mansfield.

While not explicitly detailing dedicated labs, her extensive collaborative publication record indicates leadership in research groups focused on geometric methods in mathematical physics, particularly through her work on discrete integrable systems and moving frame theory.