Bio

I was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and I attended Detroit Public Schools for my secondary and most of my elementary education. I then enrolled at Michigan State University, graduating in 2005 with a B.S. with High Honors in Mathematics. My mentor at MSU was Jeanne Wald; she's a noncommutative ring theorist (surprise, surprise).

During my time at MSU, I also participated in an alternative spring break program (volunteer work) in Puebla, Mexico in 2002, and a summer study abroad program in South Africa in 2003. Naturally, this launched my interest in traveling [pins not up to date].

After my second year of graduate school at Michigan, I was given the opportunity to complete my research work at the University of Manchester with my thesis adviser, Toby Stafford, who transferred to the UK in Fall 2007. I also returned to Michigan, to work with my other thesis adviser, Karen Smith, and to teach for one semester per year for the last three years of my program. So I moved...a lot!

I was an NSF postdoc at the University of Washington in Seattle in 2011-2012; my postdoc mentor was James Zhang. I was also at MSRI for the Spring 2013 program on Noncommutative Algebraic Geometry and Representation Theory; my postdoc mentor there was Sarah Witherspoon. My last postdoctoral position was at MIT, where I was a Moore Instructor in the Math Department in 2012-2015; my postdoc mentor was Pavel Etingof.

My first permanent position was as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Mathematics at Temple University (2015-2018). Then I became an Associate Professor with tenure in the Mathematics Department at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I am currently a Full Professor (still with tenure) in the Mathematics Department at Rice University... which you know as you're on this page. :)

I live with my husband, two dogs, and other creatures in Houston, Texas.

Professional Journey Talk

Dr. Marjorie Lee Browne Colloquium
Filmed in January 2017
by Walton Specialty Video
at the University of Michigan




Press

If you would like to know more about me, then please check out the following pieces in which I am sincerely grateful to have been featured:


DEI Work

I am no longer available for this public service as I am reclaiming my scholarship time. Like many whose demographic is underrepresented in this profession, my service tax was paid in full, several times over, early in my career. If you seek this type of service elsewhere, it is appropriate to offer payment on par with the fee below or higher. (Updated July 7, 2023)

[Outdated] I have given many math talks and have served on panels, particularly for diverse audiences, and for individuals who have interests in increasing diversity, inclusion, and equity in mathematics. If you are interested in having me participate in your event, then please note that along with limiting such out-of-town events, I have implemented a consulting service plan for these endeavors.

Consulting services include, but not are limited to:
-- Talks on diversity, inclusion, and equity, including my own professional journey.
-- Participation in discussions and panels on diversity, inclusion, equity, anti-racist and anti-sexist practices.
-- Formal mentoring and counseling of women and racially underrepresented junior mathematicians.

Fee: $350/hour, $1,000 minimum, excluding travel expenses.
The fee for talks and panels can be in the form of an honorarium. The number of work-hours in the fee should include preparation time. Pro-bono services are sometimes granted upon request, not by default. For examples of past and current pro-bono diversity and inclusion services, please see my log of such activities (and requests) during Aug. 16 - Oct. 5, 2018.