Richard Rusczyk

{{short description|American mathematician and founder of Art of Problem Solving}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox scientist | caption = | name = Richard Rusczyk | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|September 21, 1971}} | birth_place = Idaho Falls, Idaho, U.S. | field = Mathematics | work_institutions = Art of Problem Solving [https://artofproblemsolving.com] | alma_mater = Princeton University | doctoral_advisor = | doctoral_students = | known_for = Art of Problem Solving | spouse = Vanessa Rusczyk | prizes = World Federation of National Mathematics Competitions Paul Erdös Award (2014) | signature = | image = Rrusczyk.jpg }}

'''Richard Rusczyk''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|ʌ|s|ɪ|k}}; born September 21, 1971) is an American mathematician. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Art of Problem Solving Inc. and a co-author of the ''Art of Problem Solving'' textbooks. Rusczyk was a national Mathcounts participant in 1985, and he won the USA Math Olympiad (USAMO) in 1989. He is one of the co-creators of the Mandelbrot Competition, and a former director of the USA Mathematical Talent Search (USAMTS). He also founded the '''San Diego Math Circle'''.

== Early life == Richard Rusczyk was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho in 1971. <ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Chen |first=Ingfei |date=2021-11-12 |title=Richard Rusczyk's Worldwide Math Camp |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/richard-rusczyks-worldwide-math-camp |access-date=2025-07-07 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}</ref> He signed up for the MathCounts program when he was in middle school. As a high schooler, Rusczyk was a part of his high school math team and took part in the American Mathematics Competitions.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Chen |first=Ingfei |date=November 13, 2021 |title=Richard Rusczyk's Worldwide Math Camp |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/richard-rusczyks-worldwide-math-camp |access-date=April 7, 2023 |magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref> Rusczyk would later go on to win the USA Math Olympiad (USAMO) and make the alternates for the USA team for the International Math Olympiad (IMO).<ref>{{Citation |title=AMA with Sal Khan and Richard Rusczyk |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO4ZYEvtwxs |access-date=2023-11-11 |language=en}}</ref> Rusczyk attended Princeton University, graduating in 1993 with a degree Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 7, 2023 |title=The Art of Problem Solving Initiative |url=https://artofproblemsolving.org/people.html }}</ref> After graduating from college, Rusczyk went to work as a bond trader at D. E. Shaw & Co. for four years, before pursuing becoming a high school teacher.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB8LaKAUGgU |title=Richard Rusczyk: Art of Problem Solving, AoPS, Chief Executive Officer. A Profile. |language=en |access-date=2024-05-11 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>

== Art of Problem Solving ==

'''Art of Problem Solving (AoPS)''' is an educational organization founded in 2003 by mathematician Richard Rusczyk. It provides textbooks, online courses, and community resources designed to help middle and high school students strengthen their mathematics and problem-solving skills, particularly in preparation for mathematics competitions.<ref name="art-of-problem-solving">{{Cite web|url=https://www.commonsense.org/education/reviews/FAQ|title=Common Sense Education EdTech Reviews FAQ | Common Sense Education|website=www.commonsense.org}}</ref>

=== History === Between 1993 and 1994, Richard Rusczyk and Sandor Lehoczky authored the first two volumes of the ''Art of Problem Solving'' series. These books were designed to prepare students for mathematical competitions by teaching concepts and problem-solving techniques not typical in standard school curricula.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php/User:Azjps/Wikipedia|title=Art of Problem Solving|website=artofproblemsolving.com}}</ref> The series later gave its name to the educational company Rusczyk founded in 2003.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php/Richard_Rusczyk|title=Art of Problem Solving|website=artofproblemsolving.com}}</ref>

After completing his undergraduate studies at Princeton University, Rusczyk worked for several years as a bond trader at D. E. Shaw & Co. He later founded Art of Problem Solving in 2003, launching an online platform that offers instructional courses, discussion forums, a collaborative wiki, and interactive games such as ''For the Win'' (FTW) and ''Reaper'' and "Alcumus".<ref name="art-of-problem-solving"/>

=== Initiatives === Rusczyk founded the nonprofit '''Art of Problem Solving Initiative''', which administers the ''United States of America Mathematical Talent Search (USAMTS)'' and supports local mathematics programs across the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guidestar.org/profile/20-1239616|title=The Art of Problem Solving Initiative, Inc. - GuideStar Profile|website=www.guidestar.org}}</ref>

In 2012, Rusczyk received the '''Mathcounts Distinguished Alumnus Award'''. In 2014, he was awarded the '''Paul Erdős Award''' by the World Federation of National Mathematics Competitions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amt.edu.au/wfnmc/awards.html |title=WFNMC Awards |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323130105/http://www.amt.edu.au/wfnmc/awards.html |archivedate=March 23, 2014}}</ref>

=== Leadership === On March 24, 2025, Rusczyk retired as chief executive officer of Art of Problem Solving. He was succeeded by Ben Kornell as CEO, with Andrew Sutherland appointed as chief product officer. However, as of February 9th, 2026, Rusczyk is returning as CEO to guide new initiatives. He continues to serve on the company’s board of directors.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 24, 2025 |title=Art of Problem Solving Adds Ben Kornell as CEO and Andrew Sutherland as Chief Product Officer; Current CEO Richard Rusczyk Joins Board |url=https://www.abc4.com/business/press-releases/cision/20250324LA46360/art-of-problem-solving-adds-ben-kornell-as-ceo-and-andrew-sutherland-as-chief-product-officer-current-ceo-richard-rusczyk-joins-board}}</ref>

=== Textbooks === Richard Rusczyk has authored and co-authored several mathematics textbooks for students in grades 5–12, including ''Prealgebra'', ''Introduction to Algebra'', and ''Introduction to Geometry''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/store|title=Math Book Store - Print and Online|website=artofproblemsolving.com}}</ref>

After his first year at Princeton University, Rusczyk collaborated with Sandor Lehoczky and Sam Vandervelde to create the Mandelbrot Competition. Following the competition’s limited success, Rusczyk and Lehoczky began writing the first volumes of the ''Art of Problem Solving'' series.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/company/history|title=History of Art of Problem Solving|website=artofproblemsolving.com}}</ref>

==== Full list of (co)authored textbooks in published order ==== * ''The Art of Problem Solving: The Basics'' (1993), co-authored with Sandor Lehoczky<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/store/list/all-products|title=All Math Books Available at AoPS|website=artofproblemsolving.com}}</ref> * ''Art of Problem Solving, Volume 2: And Beyond'' (1994), co-authored with Sandor Lehoczky<ref name="auto"/> * ''Introduction to Geometry'' (2006)<ref name="auto"/> * ''Introduction to Algebra'' (2007)<ref name="auto"/> * ''Intermediate Algebra'' (2007), co-authored with Mathew Crawford<ref name="auto"/> * ''Precalculus'' (2009)<ref name="auto"/> * ''Prealgebra'' (2011), co-authored with David Patrick and Ravi Boppana<ref name="auto"/>

== Categories == * Mathematics education in the United States * Educational websites * American educational companies

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * [https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c864 Rusczyk's blog]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rusczyk, Richard}} Category:Living people Category:American non-fiction writers Category:Princeton University alumni Category:1971 births Category:Mathematics popularizers Category:D. E. Shaw & Co. people