Melvin Hochster, the Raymond L. Wilder Professor of Mathematics, will hold the Robert W. and Lynn H. Browne Professorship in Science.
His new appointment, effective Nov. 1, was approved by the Regents at their October meeting. The Browne professorship was established last month with a gift from Robert W. Browne of Grand Rapids, who received an A.B. in 1948, D.D.S. in 1952 and M.S. in orthodontics in 1959, all from the U-M.
“Prof. Hochster is internationally known for the innovativeness and depth of his research in commutative algebra and algebraic geometry; the subjects overlap because the solutions of a system of several equations in several unknowns form an object that can be studied either algebraically or geometrically,” said LS&A Dean Edie N. Goldenberg.
“Prof. Hochster is an extremely successful and engaging instructor at all levels, freshmen through postdoctoral students. He has directed 16 doctoral students and is presently directing five more. His doctoral students have received some of the most prestigious postdoctoral fellowships.”
Hochster is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Science.
Hochster, who received his Ph.D. degree from Princeton University in 1967, taught at the University of Minnesota and Purdue University before joining the U-M in 1977.
