Jennifer S. Balakrishnan

Jennifer S. Balakrishnan is a Professor and Director of Graduate Admissions in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Boston University. Her research focuses on algorithmic number theory and arithmetic geometry, with primary support from the National Science Foundation and Simons Foundation. She actively contributes to the Simons Collaboration on Arithmetic Geometry, Number Theory, and Computation and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Research in Number Theory.

Her research centers on developing computational methods for solving Diophantine equations, particularly through p-adic techniques including the Chabauty-Coleman method and its quadratic extensions. She investigates rational and integral points on algebraic curves and higher-dimensional varieties, with emphasis on modular curves, hyperelliptic curves, and effective implementations of theoretical frameworks. Her work bridges abstract arithmetic geometry with concrete computational algorithms.

Professor Balakrishnan's publication trends reveal sustained contributions to rational points computation, with recent focus on quadratic Chabauty generalizations, p-adic height pairings, and modular form applications. Her collaborative work spans algorithmic development, theoretical extensions to number fields, and computational verification of conjectures in Diophantine geometry.

She serves on editorial boards for Transactions of the AMS, Memoirs of the AMS, Mathematics of Computation, and other leading journals, and holds leadership roles as Treasurer of the Number Theory Foundation and Advisory Board member for the Mathematical Research Data Initiative. Professor Balakrishnan currently advises one Ph.D. student and has received continuous research funding from major national foundations.

She actively organizes academic events including GeMsGetMath for high school students, ANTS XVI, and workshops at MIT and MSRI, demonstrating strong commitment to community building and mentorship in number theory.