{{Short description|American mathematician}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Michael Thaddeus | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|1|12}} | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | fields = Algebraic geometry | workplaces = Harvard University<br />University of Oxford<br />Columbia University<br />Institute for Advanced Study | education = {{ubl||Harvard University (BA)|St John's College, Oxford (DPhil)}} | thesis_title = Algebraic Geometry and the Verlinde Formula | thesis_url = https://www.worldcat.org/title/48597263 | thesis_year = 1992 | doctoral_advisor = Simon Donaldson | website = {{URL|http://www.math.columbia.edu/~thaddeus/|math.columbia.edu/~thaddeus}} | father = Patrick Thaddeus }}
'''Michael Thaddeus''' (born January 12, 1967) is an American mathematician and a professor of mathematics at Columbia University.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Diep |first=Francie |date=March 16, 2022 |title=Columbia Is Ranked No. 2 by 'U.S News.' A Professor Says Its Spot Is Based on False Data |url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/columbia-is-ranked-no-2-by-u-s-news-a-professor-says-its-spot-is-based-on-false-data |access-date=August 23, 2023 |website=The Chronicle of Higher Education}}</ref> He is best known for having been a whistleblower in exposing inaccurate data submitted by Columbia University to ''U.S. News & World Report'' (USNWR)'s Best Colleges Ranking to inflate the university's college ranking.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-16 |title=Columbia whistleblower on exposing college rankings: 'They are worthless' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/16/columbia-whistleblower-us-news-rankings-michael-thaddeus |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mendoza |first=Jordan |date=September 12, 2022 |title=Columbia University admits to reporting inaccurate data for US News college rankings |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2022/09/12/columbia-university-incorrect-data-us-news-college-rankings/10358383002/ |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=USA Today |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Early life and education == Thaddeus was born on January 12, 1967, in New York City, and grew up in Morningside Heights. His father, Patrick, and his mother, Janice, both held doctorates from Columbia. Thaddeus was educated at St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's School before enrolling at Hunter College High School in 1980, where he graduated in 1984.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Bernstein |first=Noah |date=February 28, 2023 |title='The loyal opposition': Meet Michael Thaddeus, the math professor who took on Columbia |url=https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2023/02/28/the-loyal-opposition-meet-michael-thaddeus-the-math-professor-who-took-on-columbia/ |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=Columbia Daily Spectator}}</ref>
Thaddeus matriculated at Harvard University, where his sister was also a student, with the intent to study biology but switched to mathematics.<ref name=":3" /> He graduated in 1988 and was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at St John's College, Oxford, where he earned his Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=PBK - Michael Thaddeus |url=https://www.pbk.org/Michael-Thaddeus |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=www.pbk.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1987-12-07 |title=32 FROM U.S. CHOSEN FOR RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/07/us/32-from-us-chosen-for-rhodes-scholarships.html |access-date=2023-08-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> His dissertation, ''Algebraic Geometry and the Verlinde Formula'', was published in 1992 under the supervision of Simon Donaldson.<ref>{{Cite thesis |title=Algebraic geometry and the Verlinde formula |url=https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:12af7dda-26f7-44ec-b335-74193ce1c538 |publisher=University of Oxford |date=2016 |degree=PhD |language=English |first=M. |last=Thaddeus}}</ref>
== Academic career == In 1994, Thaddeus was elected a Junior Fellow of the Harvard Society of Fellows.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Michael Thaddeus {{!}} Professor |url=https://columbia.discovery.academicanalytics.com/scholar/stack/48892/MICHAEL-THADDEUS?unitId=4442&unitType=2 |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=Arcade - Public Access |publisher=Columbia University}}</ref> He was a postdoctoral researcher at the Mittag-Leffler Institute and the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute from 1994 and 1997.<ref name=":3" /> In 1998, Thaddeus joined the mathematics faculty of Columbia University.<ref name=":0" /> He has lectured at multiple institutions including Hunter College, Virginia Tech, and Creighton University, among others.<ref name=":0" /> He specializes in algebraic geometry.<ref name=":1" />
Thaddeus was a member of the School of Mathematics at the Institute for Advanced Study in 2001.<ref name=":2" /> From 2017 to 2020, he was the chair of the math department at Columbia University.<ref name=":3" />
=== Columbia rankings exposé === Thaddeus' exposé, "An Investigation of the Facts Behind Columbia’s U.S. News Ranking,"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Columbia and U.S. News |url=https://www.math.columbia.edu/~thaddeus/ranking/investigation.html |access-date=2023-07-23 |website=www.math.columbia.edu}}</ref> was published in February 2022, identifying discrepancies such as shrunken class sizes and the exaggeration of faculty credentials.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Hartocollis |first=Anemona |date=2022-03-17 |title=U.S. News Ranked Columbia No. 2, but a Math Professor Has His Doubts |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/us/columbia-university-rank.html |access-date=2022-09-17 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Due to Thaddeus' analysis, Columbia later dropped from having been ranked 2nd to being ranked 18th, sparking speculation about the integrity of college rankings.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barron |first=James |date=2022-09-13 |title=Columbia Loses A-Plus Status in U.S. News Rankings |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/13/nyregion/columbia-loses-a-plus-status-in-us-news-rankings.html |access-date=2022-09-17 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-06 |title=Columbia professor questions university's #2 ranking on U.S. News |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-columbia-university-us-news-rankings-discrepancies-20220306-af7hbmmdwvbhrgxbh4g4in4anu-story.html |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=New York Daily News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-12 |title=Columbia University ranking scandal raises questions over sky-high value of an Ivy League education |url=https://money.yahoo.com/columbia-university-ranking-scandal-raises-130038574.html |access-date=2023-08-25 |website=money.yahoo.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Selected publications ==
* {{Cite arXiv |last1=Thaddeus |first1=Michael |last2=Martens |first2=Johan |date=October 30, 2012 |title=Variations on a theme of Grothendieck |class=math.AG |eprint=1210.8161 }}
== References == <references />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thaddeus, Michael}} Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:Harvard College alumni Category:Columbia University faculty Category:Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford
{{US-mathematician-stub}} Category:Alumni of St John's College, Oxford Category:Algebraic geometers Category:Mathematicians from New York City Category:Scientists from Manhattan