| Pamela E. Harris | |
| Birth Date: | 28 November 1983 |
| Fields: | Mathematician |
| Workplaces: | |
| Alma Mater: | Marquette University University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee |
| Doctoral Advisor: | Jeb Willenbring |
| Thesis Title: | Combinatorial problems related to Kostant’s weight multiplicity formula |
| Thesis Url: | https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/sites.uwm.edu/dist/d/129/files/2016/04/pamela-e-harris-1zu8lyw.pdf |
| Thesis Year: | 2012 |
| Awards: | Karen EDGE Fellow (2020) |
Pamela Estephania Harris (born November 28, 1983) is a Mexican-American mathematician, educator and advocate for immigrants. She is currently an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,[1] was formerly an associate professor at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts and is co-founder of the online platform Lathisms.[2] She is also an editor of the e-mentoring blog of the American Mathematical Society (AMS).[3]
Harris first emigrated with her family from Mexico to the United States when she was 8 years old.[4] They returned to Mexico, before eventually settling in Wisconsin when Harris was 12. Because she was undocumented, she could not attend university.[5] Instead, she studied at the Milwaukee Area Technical College, where she earned two associate degrees in two and a half years. After she married a US citizen and her immigration status changed, she transferred to Marquette University, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in mathematics.[4] She went on to complete her master's degree and in 2012 a PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her Ph.D. dissertation was advised by Jeb F. Willenbring. Harris was a Project NExT (New Experiences in Teaching) fellow in 2012.[6] She was a Davies Research Fellow at the United States Military Academy, and, in 2016, joined the faculty at Williams College[7] where she was an associate professor.[8] In 2022, she joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as an associate professor.
Harris studies algebraic combinatorics, in particular the representation of Lie algebras.[9] In order to understand this representation she studies vector partition functions, in particular Kostant's partition function. She is also interested in graph theory and number theory. In 2016 she co-founded an online platform called 'Lathisms' which aims to promote the contributions of Latinxs and Hispanics in the Mathematical Sciences.[10] [4] In 2020 she co-authored the book "Asked and Answered: Dialogues On Advocating For Students of Color in Mathematics".[11] Harris, along with Aris Winger, run a podcast, Mathematically Uncensored, through the Center for Minorities in the Mathematical Sciences. Starting in October 2020, they discussed current issues in mathematics that minorities encounter.[12]
In 2020, Harris was selected as part of the inaugural class of Karen EDGE Fellows.[13] In 2019, Harris won the Mathematical Association of America Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Beginning College or University Mathematics Faculty Member,[14] for her mentorship towards undergraduate research and for being a "fierce advocate for a diverse and inclusive mathematics community."[15] She further received the early career Faculty Mentor Award from the Council of Undergraduate Research in the Mathematics and Computer Sciences Division.[7] She was a 2022 winner of the Deborah and Franklin Haimo Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics.[16]
She gave one of the Mathematical Association of America Invited Addresses at the 2019 Joint Mathematics Meetings.[17] In 2019 she was a featured speaker at the national conference of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS).[18] [19] She was named a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society, in the 2022 class of fellows, "for contributions to algebraic combinatorics, for mentorship of undergraduate researchers, and for contributions to a more equitable and inclusive mathematical community".[20] In 2022 she will become a fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics, "For exceptional leadership in establishing programs and mentoring networks that support, encourage, and advance women and underrepresented minorities in the mathematical sciences; and for contributions through public speaking that create positive systemic change in the culture and climate of the mathematics profession."[21]
In 2018 Harris was featured in the book .[22] [23]