Stevens Institute of Technology Hosts Global Math Conference
Stevens Institute of Technology recently welcomed mathematicians from around the world for GAGTA 2025 (Geometric and Asymptotic Group Theory with Applications). The latest installment in this major international conference focused on some of the field’s most powerful ideas, and the role of artificial intelligence in these studies.
GAGTA works to advance group theory, a branch of mathematics that studies finite and infinite systems comprising collections of elements that follow certain rules when combined. Researchers study how these systems behave, especially in large or complicated situations.
While group theory is abstract, it is deeply connected to real-world applications such as computer science, logic and algorithms — the instructions computers follow to solve problems. The field has been growing since the early 1900s, when German mathematician Max Dehn began exploring the difficulties of using machines to solve problems.
Exploring algebra, AI breakthroughs and the future of mathematics
GAGTA 2025, held June 6 to 13, marked the third time Stevens has hosted this influential series, giving the university’s strong research presence a prominent stage in this international community.
“The GAGTA conference, held this year along with the International Workshop on Artificial Intelligence in Mathematics & Mathematics Education, opens unique opportunities for collaboration and provides an exceptional platform for discussing AI research in mathematics,” noted Michael Zabarankin, professor and chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences.
This year's program attracted nearly 120 in-person and virtual participants including students, faculty and world-renowned experts. The conference was organized in collaboration with the University of the Basque Country, Hunter College of CUNY and City College of CUNY.
The first four days delved into the program theme of “Groups, Logic and Computation.” Dozens of presentations featured global experts such as Efim Zelmanov and Akshay Venkatesh, winners of the prestigious Fields Medal; Mikhail Gromov, winner of the Abel Prize, another top honor in the field; and many other researchers whose work is shaping the future of math, logic and computer science.
This year’s GAGTA program also introduced the Schupp Distinguished Lecture, an international distinction conferred on a researcher for an outstanding scientific result in group theory and related areas. Swiss mathematician Laurent Bartholdi of Saarland University delivered this inaugural presentation.
The closing day, co-hosted with the California Institute of Technology, was devoted to a workshop on artificial intelligence in mathematics and mathematics education. Speakers discussed how AI might soon help solve long-standing mathematical problems, help discover theorems and even teach math in smarter, more personalized ways.
“Artificial intelligence is making inroads into mathematics, so it was illuminating to hear experts talk about how AI will shape the future of mathematical research and mathematics education,” said Jan Cannizzo, teaching associate professor and associate chair for undergraduate studies in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, and part of the GAGTA 2025 organizing team.
These conversations were timely for Stevens, which recently launched the Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Mathematics Education to examine how AI tools can help students learn math more effectively.
Celebrating leadership in group theory
GAGTA 2025 paid special tribute to Alexei Miasnikov, a professor in Stevens’ Department of Mathematical Sciences and one of the world’s most respected group theorists. Almost all of the speakers acknowledged how his contributions to algebra, logic, cryptography and more have inspired their own work.
Bringing this world-class event to campus helped showcase Stevens’ strengths in advanced mathematics and growing leadership in areas such as AI and mathematics education. With support from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Stevens, and AI-centric cloud platform Nebius, the conference underscored how deep mathematical ideas connect with real-world technologies — and why the future of group theory research depends on those connections.
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