Ruth Charney

Ruth Charney is an American mathematician specializing in geometric group theory and low-dimensional topology. She is the Theodore and Evelyn Berenson Professor of Mathematics at Brandeis University and a former president of the American Mathematical Society. Charney's research has profoundly influenced the study of Artin groups, CAT(0) geometry, and the automorphism groups of free groups.

Early life and education

Ruth Charney was born in New York City and developed an early interest in mathematics. She pursued her undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelor of Science degree. For her graduate work, she attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she was a student of the prominent topologist John R. Stallings. She completed her Ph.D. in 1977 with a dissertation titled "Homology Stability for GL_*n* of a Dedekind domain."

Career and research

After postdoctoral positions, Charney joined the faculty at Ohio State University, where she rose to the rank of professor. In 2005, she moved to Brandeis University, where she holds the Berenson Professorship. Her research bridges geometric group theory, combinatorial group theory, and geometric topology. A central focus has been the theory of Artin groups, particularly their connections to CAT(0) spaces and the K(π,1) conjecture. She made seminal contributions to understanding the homological stability of automorphism groups and the geometry of Outer space, a complex used to study Out(*F*_*n*), the outer automorphism group of a free group. Her work often involves constructing explicit geometric models to resolve algebraic and topological questions, influencing numerous collaborators and subsequent research in the field.

Awards and honors

In 2012, Charney was elected a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society for her contributions to geometric group theory and service to the community. She served as the president of the American Mathematical Society from 2019 to 2020, following terms as vice president. She has also been an invited speaker at major international conferences, including the International Congress of Mathematicians in 2002. Her leadership roles include serving on the board of trustees for the Institute for Advanced Study and on the scientific advisory board of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute.

Selected publications

* Charney, R. (1992). "Artin groups of finite type are biautomatic." Mathematische Annalen. * Charney, R. (1995). "Geodesic automation and growth functions for Artin groups of finite type." Mathematische Annalen. * Charney, R., & Davis, M. (1995). "The *K*(π,1)-problem for hyperplane complements associated to infinite reflection groups." Journal of the American Mathematical Society. * Charney, R. (2000). "An introduction to right-angled Artin groups." Geometriae Dedicata. * Charney, R., & Farber, M. (2012). "Random groups arising as graph products." Algebraic & Geometric Topology.

Personal life

Ruth Charney is married to mathematician Michael W. Davis, a professor at Ohio State University known for his work in geometric topology and the construction of exotic manifolds. They have collaborated professionally on several research projects. Outside of mathematics, she has interests in music and literature.