2026 Mathematics Convocation Ceremony

Matthew Ando is an expert in algebraic topology; his research lies at the intersection of topology, number theory, and string theory. He has given lectures on five continents, and he has held visiting positions at multiple international research institutes. He is a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society, and at UIUC he was awarded the College of LAS Dean’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the Executive Officers’ Distinguished Leadership Award.

Ando joined the faculty of the Department of Mathematics at Illinois as an assistant professor in 1999. He served as chair of the department from 2011 to 2017 and as Associate Dean for Life and Physical Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from 2017 to 2023. Since 2023, he has served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Mathematics at Ohio University.

Ando was chair of the department during a period of remarkable growth: the number of undergraduate majors grew from 800 to 1,200, and the number of credit hours taught grew from 65,000 to 80,000. During that time, the department became even better known nationally for innovations in undergraduate and graduate education. “I was fortunate to work with fantastic, energetic, and brilliant faculty and students,” Ando says. “My contributions were probably two-fold: I mostly didn’t hold people back from implementing their great ideas, and I diligently promoted their excellent work to the profession.”  At the end of his time as chair of Mathematics, the department won a national award for excellence from the American Mathematical Society, recognizing its innovations in many areas. The AMS’s article about the award was appropriately titled, “Big is Beautiful.”

As associate dean, Ando continued to collaborate closely with Professor Sheldon Katz to advance the cause of the renovation of Altgeld Hall and the rebuilding Illini Hall. In particular, he played a critical role in developing the case that led to a substantial contribution in funding from the State of Illinois. 

Ando has a strong record of service to the profession. He was a member of the Council of the American Mathematical Society, and he served five-year term as a trustee of the society from 2019 to 2024. In 2018, he assembled and led the four-university team that developed the proposal to the National Science Foundation for the Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation at the University of Chicago.