The Department faculty have research interests including algebra, analysis, applied mathematics, combinatorics, differential geometry, geometric topology, harmonic analysis, mathematical biology, mathematical physics, numerical analysis, partial differential equations, optimization and control, quantum computation and representation theory. Mathematics graduate students can go on to do advanced work in any of the fields represented by the Department's faculty, including both theoretical and applied areas.

Members of the Department are well funded, with most having grant support from one or more of the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Departments of Defense and Energy, or other federal agencies. The world class caliber of our distinguished faculty can be further measured by the numerous honors they have received; for example, two of our members were invited speakers at a recent International Congress of Mathematicians.

With a vibrant research program, the Department of Mathematics has numerous weekly seminars in core areas of pure and applied mathematics. Examples include a Colloquium and seminars in Applied Math, Discrete Mathematics, Geometry/Topology, Mathematical Physics and Optimization, and a Student-run Seminar. There are also regular joint seminars with Bay Area universities such as the Bay Area Topology Seminar, run once a quarter with Berkeley and Stanford, and the Bay Area Discrete Mathematic Day, held twice a year with several other northern California universities. For current listings of scheduled speakers for the Department's seminars, go to our seminars listing.

The Department of Mathematics at Davis offers the advantages of a large graduate program, such as a broad choice of graduate courses, research areas, potential dissertation supervisors, major library resources, computer facilities and support. It also has the advantages of a smaller institution, such as small classes and the ability to work closely with faculty from an early stage. Graduate students also have the opportunity to travel to conferences and to participate in summer research programs in both Davis and other institutions; this includes the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI), of which Davis is a sponsoring institution. MSRI, located about an hour's drive from Davis, runs several summer graduate workshops each year.

The Master's and Ph.D. programs provide courses and seminars in various areas of mathematics. Ph.D. students then write a dissertation featuring original research under the direction of one of the Department's faculty. The Master's program normally takes two years to complete, while the Ph.D. usually requires four to five years.

Students in the Department also profit from the Graduate Group in Applied Mathematics (GGAM), a group of about 70 researchers in the mathematical sciences that are housed in many different departments on campus but are unified by a mathematical theme in their work.

Mathematics graduate students are provided with office space that includes Linux workstations. Various types of financial support are available, consisting of a combination of various fellowships, Graduate Student Researchships, Associate Instructorships, and Teaching Assistantships. In summer an additional stipend is often available.