FGV EMAp professor wins Women in Mathematics Award

Professor Maria Soledad Aronna of Fundação Getulio Vargas’ School of Applied Mathematics (FGV EMAp) recently received a Women in Mathematics Award from the Brazilian Mathematical Society (SBM), the Rio de Janeiro-based Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) and the Ministry for Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI).

Aronna’s award was in the “Outstanding Young Person” category, which recognizes female researchers for their notable contributions. The awards ceremony took place on October 2 in Maringá, Paraná, during the First SBM Workshop on Women in Mathematics, held at Maringá State University.

“I was delighted to get the phone call from Jaqueline Mesquita, the president of SBM, telling me that I had been chosen,” the professor says.

Career at FGV

Soledad has been a professor at FGV EMAp since 2015. Aware of the challenges facing women in the exact sciences, she approached the school’s dean, César Camacho, and presented a proposal to expand female representation in the area. The result was the creation in 2023 of the Marília Chaves Peixoto Chair, which this year is in its second edition and offers a postdoctoral position exclusively to women.

“We know that talent is equally distributed between the genders, which is why we seek to attract talented women by offering them an environment together with the resources they need to conduct high-quality research and gain visibility in the academic world,” Soledad argues.

According to the professor, many female students have impressive ideas, but often hesitate to express themselves and share their ideas in class. “Sometimes they only come to talk to me after the lesson is over, when the room is already empty. This is something I rarely see among young men,” Soledad observes. “So, I always urge them to trust in their ideas and I tell them to not be afraid of failing. Making mistakes is part of learning and it’s essential to allow yourself to do so,” she adds.

Soledad also encourages her female students to seek support from their peers and professors. In this regard, FGV EMAp supports a group, organized by the student association, exclusively for female students, which functions not only as an academic space but also as an environment of mutual support.

“It’s important for women to be present and active in careers such as mathematics, computing and statistics, which are increasingly in demand in different sectors, competing on an equal footing. We have all the skills required to excel,” says the professor.

She is currently working on optimal control and the modelling of dynamic systems, with a focus on practical problems that directly affect society, such as the optimization of epidemic control strategies.