Department of Mathematics
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
e-mail: msaran@math.uiuc.edu
Maya Saran
Research
I am currently a graduate student in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My research is in descriptive set theory and my adviser is Slawomir Solecki.
My thesis is on sigma-ideals of compact sets -- collections of compact sets (in a metric space) closed under taking subsets and countable (compact) unions. Such ideals arise naturally out of various notions of smallness; their study is well established in descriptive set theory.
Teaching
I have taught various levels of calculus and linear algebra at Illinois, as well as a course for teachers and a numeracy course for non-math majors. I have a Graduate Teacher Certificate and, based on students evaluation, was named an 'Outstanding' and 'Excellent' instructor in 2007 and 2001 respectively. The 'Outstanding' designation is given to the top 10% of approximately 3,000 ranked instructors.
About me
I grew up in Delhi, the capital of India. I did a three-year undergraduate degree in mathematics at
St. Stephen's College in Delhi. After my B.A. I worked for Development Alternatives, a not-for profit organization developing energy efficient, low cost and environmentally sustainable building materials for rural Indian communities. I also completed an M.A. in mathematics at St Stephen's College. During my final year I was affiliated with the College's Center for Mathematical Sciences as a student researcher.
From there I came to the University of Illinois.
I am currently in Cambridge, MA, finishing my thesis and preparing to defend in August of this year.