Matt Clay

Matthew T. Clay is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He holds a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Utah (2006) and has held academic positions at Allegheny College and the University of Oklahoma before joining the University of Arkansas in 2012.

His research focuses on Geometric Group Theory, particularly on automorphisms of free groups, mapping class groups, and group actions on trees. He has organized conferences such as the Redbud Topology Conference and co-edited the book *Office Hours with a Geometric Group Theorist* (Princeton University Press, 2017). His work bridges geometric, algebraic, and dynamical perspectives in group theory.

Key honors include NSF grants, a Simons Foundation Collaboration Grant, and the University of Utah’s Outstanding Graduate Student Award. He has advised three doctoral students and contributed to software tools for geometric group theory, such as *sage-train-track* and *bsscl*.

Clay’s outreach includes organizing the G3 conference and co-hosting the *Running* section of his webpage, reflecting his passion for ultrarunning and its intersection with problem-solving resilience in mathematics.