Jennifer Balakrishnan

Jennifer Balakrishnan is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Boston University and currently serves as Director of Graduate Admissions. Her research focuses on algorithmic number theory and arithmetic geometry, with particular emphasis on computational methods in arithmetic geometry, quadratic Chabauty, modular curves, and hyperelliptic curves. Her work is supported by the National Science Foundation and the Simons Foundation, and she is part of the Simons Collaboration on Arithmetic Geometry, Number Theory, and Computation.

Dr. Balakrishnan holds editorial roles at Transactions of the AMS, Memoirs of the AMS, Mathematics of Computation, and others, including serving as Editor-in-Chief of Research in Number Theory. She teaches advanced courses such as MA 842 (Greatest hits in arithmetic geometry) and actively mentors one current Ph.D. student.

Her research interests span computational aspects of arithmetic geometry, including p-adic methods, effective Mordell conjecture approaches, and rational points on curves. Notable contributions include developing quadratic Chabauty techniques for modular and hyperelliptic curves. She organizes conferences and workshops, such as the Park City Mathematics Institute and the Boston University-Keio University workshop, fostering collaboration in arithmetic geometry and number theory.

Dr. Balakrishnan’s research is further highlighted by her involvement in the Simons Collaboration and contributions to computational tools like explicit Coleman integration. Her work bridges theoretical advancements with algorithmic implementations, advancing both foundational mathematics and its computational frontiers.