# Aaron Pixton

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{{short description|American mathematician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name              = Aaron Pixton
| image             = PixtonAaron MFO17461.jpg
| alt               = 
| caption           = Pixton at the Workshop ''[Moduli Spaces](/source/Moduli_space) in Algebraic Geometry'', [Oberwolfach](/source/Mathematical_Research_Institute_of_Oberwolfach) 2013
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|1986|01|13|mf=y}}
| birth_place       = [Binghamton, New York](/source/Binghamton%2C_New_York), U.S.
| death_date        = 
| death_place       = 
| fields            = [Mathematics](/source/Mathematics)
| workplaces        = [Harvard University](/source/Harvard_University) <br/> [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/source/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology) <br/> [University of Michigan](/source/University_of_Michigan)
| alma_mater        = [Princeton University](/source/Princeton_University) <small>([AB](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts), [PhD](/source/Doctor_of_Philosophy))</small>
| thesis_title      = The tautological ring of the moduli space of curves
| thesis_url        = https://math.mit.edu/~apixton/papers/tautological.pdf
| thesis_year       = 2013
| doctoral_advisor  = [Rahul Pandharipande](/source/Rahul_Pandharipande)
| doctoral_students = 
| known_for         = 
| awards            = [Morgan Prize](/source/Morgan_Prize) <small>(2009)</small> <br> [Putnam Fellow](/source/William_Lowell_Putnam_Mathematical_Competition) <small>(2004, 2005, 2007)</small>
| module2            = 
{{Infobox chess player
| child = yes
|title = [FIDE Master](/source/FIDE_Master)
|peakrating = 2465 (July 2009)
|country = [United States](/source/United_States)
}}
}}

'''Aaron C. Pixton''' (born January 13, 1986) is an American [mathematician](/source/mathematician) at the [University of Michigan](/source/University_of_Michigan). He works in [enumerative geometry](/source/enumerative_geometry), and is also known for his [chess](/source/chess) playing, where he is a [FIDE Master](/source/FIDE_Master).

==Early life and education==
Pixton was born in [Binghamton, New York](/source/Binghamton%2C_New_York); his father, Dennis Pixton, is a retired professor of mathematics at [Binghamton University](/source/Binghamton_University). He grew up in [Vestal, New York](/source/Vestal%2C_New_York). While a student at [Vestal Senior High School](/source/Vestal_Senior_High_School), he scored a perfect score on the [American Mathematics Competition](/source/American_Mathematics_Competition) three times from 2002 to 2004.<ref>{{cite web | date=May 24, 2002 | url=http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e6-amc12/e6-1-12archive/2002-12a/02-1012abperfpaper.html | title=2002 AMC 10A/B & AMC 12A/B Perfect Papers | publisher=University of Nebraska–Lincoln | access-date=2006-05-24 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060823211443/http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e6-amc12/e6-1-12archive/2002-12a/02-1012abperfpaper.html | archive-date=August 23, 2006 }}; {{cite web | date=March 30, 2004 | url=http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e6-amc12/e6-1-12archive/2003-12a/03perfect1012ab.html | title=2003 - AMC 10 & 12, A&B Perfect Papers | publisher=University of Nebraska–Lincoln | access-date=2006-05-24 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060823184805/http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e6-amc12/e6-1-12archive/2003-12a/03perfect1012ab.html | archive-date=August 23, 2006 }}; {{cite web | date=June 17, 2004 | url=http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e6-amc12/e6-1-12archive/2004-12a/04perfect1012AB.html#NY-Pixton | title=2004 - AMC 10 & 12, A&B Perfect Papers | publisher=University of Nebraska–Lincoln | access-date=2006-05-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060407234435/http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e6-amc12/e6-1-12archive/2004-12a/04perfect1012AB.html#NY-Pixton | archive-date=2006-04-07 | url-status=dead }}</ref> He went on to the [International Mathematical Olympiad](/source/International_Mathematical_Olympiad) in 2003 and 2004 to win consecutive gold medals.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 24, 2003 |url=http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e9-imo/e9-1-imoarchive/2003-ia/03imoteam.html |title=2003 IMO USA Team |publisher=University of Nebraska–Lincoln |access-date=2006-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516105408/http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e9-imo/e9-1-imoarchive/2003-ia/03imoteam.html |archive-date=2006-05-16 |url-status=dead }}; {{cite web |date=July 28, 2004 |url=http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e9-imo/e9-1-imoarchive/2004-ia/2004imoresults.html |title=2004 IMO USA Team |publisher=University of Nebraska–Lincoln |access-date=2006-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060430095829/http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e9-imo/e9-1-imoarchive/2004-ia/2004imoresults.html |archive-date=2006-04-30 |url-status=dead }}; {{IMO results |id=7382 }}; [http://amc.maa.org/e-exams/e9-imo/e9-1-imoarchive/2004-ia/2004imoresults.shtml IMO 2004 US Team Results in Athens, Greece]</ref>

He received a [Bachelor of Arts](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts) in 2008 and a [Doctor of Philosophy](/source/Doctor_of_Philosophy) in 2013, both from [Princeton University](/source/Princeton_University).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aaron Pixton {{!}} U-M LSA Mathematics |url=https://lsa.umich.edu/math/people/faculty/pixton.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221203194351/https://lsa.umich.edu/math/people/faculty/pixton.html |archive-date=2022-12-03 |access-date=2022-12-03 |website=lsa.umich.edu |language=en}}</ref>

While an undergraduate at [Princeton University](/source/Princeton_University), Pixton was a three-time [Putnam Fellow](/source/William_Lowell_Putnam_Mathematical_Competition).<ref name="MMA">{{cite web |title=Putnam Competition Individual and Team Winners |url=http://www.maa.org/programs/maa-awards/putnam-competition-individual-and-team-winners |publisher=[Mathematical Association of America](/source/Mathematical_Association_of_America) |access-date=December 14, 2021 |archive-date=March 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312205244/http://www.maa.org/programs/maa-awards/putnam-competition-individual-and-team-winners |url-status=dead }}</ref> For his research conducted as an undergraduate, he was awarded the 2009 [Morgan Prize](/source/Morgan_Prize).<ref>{{citation|title=2009 Morgan Prize|journal=[Notices of the American Mathematical Society](/source/Notices_of_the_American_Mathematical_Society)|date=April 2009|pages=502–503|volume=56|issue=4|url=https://www.ams.org/notices/200904/rtx090400502p.pdf}}</ref> In 2008, he received a [Churchill Scholarship](/source/Churchill_Scholarship) to the [University of Cambridge](/source/University_of_Cambridge).<ref>[https://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S20/47/48A86/ Students win Churchill Scholarships]</ref> Pixton received his Ph.D. in 2013 from Princeton under the supervision of [Rahul Pandharipande](/source/Rahul_Pandharipande); his dissertation was ''The tautological ring of the moduli space of curves''.<ref>{{mathgenealogy|id=178357}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pixton |first=Aaron |date=2013-04-24 |title=The tautological ring of the moduli space of curves |url=https://math.mit.edu/~apixton/papers/tautological.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203194703/https://math.mit.edu/~apixton/papers/tautological.pdf |archive-date=2022-12-03 |access-date=2022-12-03 |website=Massachusetts Institute of Technology}}</ref>

==Career==
Pixton was appointed as a [Clay Research Fellow](/source/Clay_Research_Fellow) for a term of five years beginning in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.claymath.org/people/aaron-pixton|title=Aaron Pixton|website=Clay Mathematics Institute|year=2013}}</ref> After two years as a postdoctoral researcher at [Harvard University](/source/Harvard_University), he became an assistant professor of mathematics at the [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/source/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology) in 2015.<ref>{{citation|url=https://news.mit.edu/2015/five-professors-join-school-science-0925|title=Five professors join the School of Science this fall|publisher=[Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/source/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology)|date=September 25, 2015}}</ref> In 2017, he received a [Sloan Research Fellowship](/source/Sloan_Research_Fellowship).<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.ams.org/news?news_id=3360|title=2017 Sloan Research Fellows |date=March 8, 2017|publisher=[American Mathematical Society](/source/American_Mathematical_Society)}}</ref> In 2020, he moved to the University of Michigan as an assistant professor.

==Chess==
Pixton is also a former [child prodigy](/source/child_prodigy) in chess. He was the 2001 U.S. Cadet Champion<ref>{{citation|title=Young and Old Strive to Master the Intricacies of Ancient Game|date=August 10, 2001|first=Jack|last=Peters|authorlink=John Peters (chess player)|newspaper=[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-aug-10-cl-32543-story.html}}</ref> and the 2002 US Junior Chess Champion,<ref>{{citation|title=Revived D.C. Open to honor Shapiro|newspaper=[The Washington Times](/source/The_Washington_Times)|date= August 3, 2002|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2002/aug/3/20020803-035534-6427r/}}</ref><ref>[http://www.dallaschess.com/USJ2002/US%20JR%20Tournment%20Bulletin.pdf US Junior Open Tournament Bulletin]; [http://www.dallaschess.com/USJ2002/standings.html U. S. Junior Invitational Championships-- Final Standings]</ref> and had a win against the former US Champion [Joel Benjamin](/source/Joel_Benjamin) in 2003.<ref>{{citation|title=Better Thinking, Better Chess: How a Grandmaster Finds his Moves|first=Joel|last=Benjamin|publisher=New In Chess|year=2018|isbn=9789056918088|at=Game 19, pp. 49–51|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kTlyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA49}}</ref>

==Selected publications==
*{{citation|mr=3264769|last1=Pandharipande|first1= Rahul|authorlink1=Rahul Pandharipande|last2=Pixton|first2= Aaron|last3= Zvonkine|first3= Dimitri|
title=Relations on <math>\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{g,n}</math> via 3-spin structures| journal=[Journal of the American Mathematical Society](/source/Journal_of_the_American_Mathematical_Society) |
volume=28|year=2015|issue=1|pages=279–309|doi=10.1090/S0894-0347-2014-00808-0|doi-access=free}}
*{{citation|mr=3668650|last1=Janda|first1= Felix| last2=Pandharipande|first2= Rahul|authorlink2=Rahul Pandharipande|last3=Pixton|first3= Aaron|last4= Zvonkine|first4= Dimitri|title=Double ramification cycles on the moduli spaces of curves|journal=[Publications Mathématiques de l'IHÉS](/source/Publications_Math%C3%A9matiques_de_l'IH%C3%89S)| volume=125 |year=2017|pages= 221–266|doi=10.1007/s10240-017-0088-x|arxiv=1602.04705|s2cid=78089766}} 
*{{citation|last1=Pandharipande|first1=Rahul|author1-link=Rahul Pandharipande|last2=Pixton|first2=Aaron|doi=10.1090/jams/858|issue=2|journal=[Journal of the American Mathematical Society](/source/Journal_of_the_American_Mathematical_Society)|mr=3600040|pages=389–449|title=Gromov–Witten/Pairs correspondence for the quintic 3-fold|volume=30|year=2017|arxiv=1206.5490|s2cid=117481664}}
*{{citation|mr=3827207 | last1=Oberdieck|first1= Georg|last2= Pixton|first2= Aaron|title=Holomorphic anomaly equations and the Igusa cusp form conjecture|
journal=[Inventiones Mathematicae](/source/Inventiones_Mathematicae)|volume= 213 |year=2018|issue= 2|pages= 507–587|doi=10.1007/s00222-018-0794-0|arxiv=1706.10100| bibcode=2018InMat.213..507O| s2cid=3616255}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://math.mit.edu/~apixton/ Home page at MIT]
*{{cite web|url=http://amc.maa.org/e-exams/e8-usamo/picsusamo.shtml|title= USAMO Official Portraits 1990 – Present}}
*{{IMO results}}
*{{FIDE|2017245}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pixton, Aaron}}
Category:1986 births
Category:Living people
Category:21st-century American mathematicians
Category:Sportspeople from Binghamton, New York
Category:Princeton University alumni
Category:Chess FIDE Masters
Category:Putnam Fellows
Category:International Mathematical Olympiad participants
Category:MIT School of Science faculty
Category:Mathematicians from New York (state)
Category:Sloan Research Fellows
Category:Algebraic geometers
Category:University of Michigan faculty
Category:21st-century American chess players

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Aaron Pixton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Pixton) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Pixton?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.