In Brazil and around the world, names like Emmy Noether, Maryam Mirzakhani, and Marília Chaves Peixoto should be recognized as role models, inspiring new generations in mathematics
For centuries, brilliant women had to hide behind male pseudonyms or adopt their husbands' surnames for their intellectual achievements to be recognized at all. Although the landscape has evolved and the notion that men are naturally more skilled in exact sciences has weakened, women still face significant challenges, especially when it comes to representation.
The female professors at FGV EMAp build on the legacy of brilliant researchers and continue to inspire new generations of women | Photo: FGV EMAp
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) data from 2022 shows, for example, that only 26% of all researchers worldwide are women. In Brazil, 60% of scientific initiation scholarships are awarded to women; however, this number drops drastically at higher levels of the academic career.
For this reason, more than just celebrating International Women's Month, the School of Applied Mathematics at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV EMAp) seeks to highlight the fundamental contributions of women to Applied Mathematics. Pioneers like Amalie Emmy Noether, Maryam Mirzakhani, Maria Laura Mouzinho Leite Lopes, and Marília Chaves Peixoto, among many other researchers, have left a significant legacy. In addition to them, professors Maria Izabel Tavares Camacho, Maria Soledad Aronna, and Sonia Maria Duraes continue to strengthen the role of women in the field.
FGV EMAp believes that giving visibility to these figures is essential, as the lack of female role models still discourages many women from pursuing scientific careers.
“We, as women, must remain strong, confident, and united so that we can break barriers and build a fairer and more equitable future, where talent and ability are recognized regardless of gender,” emphasizes Professor Maria Soledad Aronna from FGV EMAp.
Get to know some of these talented women (in alphabetical order):
Amalie Emmy Noether (1882–1935)
Emmy Noether's research revolutionized abstract algebra and theoretical physics | Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Daughter of mathematician Max Noether, Emmy, as she was known, was born in Germany and early on demonstrated proficiency in English and French. Despite securing a place as a teacher at a language school for girls, she chose to continue her studies at the University of Erlangen, where her father was a professor. She faced numerous restrictions for being a woman but managed to earn a doctorate in Mathematics, working for years without a formal position or salary.
In 1915, she was invited to teach at the University of Göttingen, initially without pay, only securing a modestly paid associate professor position in 1922. Her research revolutionized abstract algebra and theoretical physics. In 1918, she formulated Noether's Theorem, which established the connection between symmetries and conservation laws, a fundamental principle in particle physics and relativity. In algebra, her 1921 paper Theory of Ideals in Rings laid the foundation for modern algebra. Expelled from Germany in 1933 by the Nazi regime, she accepted a position at Bryn Mawr College in the United States, where she taught until her untimely death in 1935.
Maria Izabel Tavares Camacho
Professor Maria Izabel has published several articles in top-tier journals | Photo: FGV EMAp
Since childhood, Maria Izabel Tavares Camacho stood out in mathematics. Solving problems was her favorite pastime, and this passion took her far. She pursued her master's and doctorate at IMPA, where she defended her thesis under challenging circumstances—eight months pregnant and with a two-year-old child. Despite this, she never stopped producing science.
For years, she dedicated herself to research in Dynamical Systems, publishing articles in high-impact journals and contributing to advancements in the field. Her work on the qualitative analysis of Dynamical Systems defined by Homogeneous Differential Equations gained significant recognition and continues to be widely referenced.
At a certain point in her career, she chose to dedicate herself entirely to teaching—something she considers one of the most gratifying and honorable professions. Today, at FGV EMAp, she is exactly where she wants to be: sharing knowledge and inspiring new generations of mathematicians.
Maria Soledad Aronna
Professor Maria Soledad was one of the founders of the Marília Chaves Peixoto Chair, which promotes the presence of women in graduate studies in mathematics | Photo: FGV EMAp
Since her teenage years, when she participated in the Math Olympiads, Maria Soledad Aronna knew she wanted to pursue this career. Graduated from the Universidad Nacional de Rosario in Argentina, she went on to a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics at École Polytechnique in France. Afterward, she worked at various European institutions and at IMPA as a postdoctoral researcher, until being selected for a position at FGV EMAp.
Here, she found an environment conducive to developing her research, which now focuses on Optimal Control and Mathematical Modeling, with applications in epidemiology and biological pest control – including vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria, and strategies for managing the sugarcane borer, one of the main challenges in sugar production in Brazil.
The professor’s research, along with her team’s work, was especially significant during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they developed an epidemiological model that accounted for isolation and quarantine. Later, the study was expanded to estimate the rate of unreported cases in the state of Rio de Janeiro and to analyze vaccination strategies in interconnected cities.
Marie-Sophie Germain (1776-1831)
Sophie Germain at 14 years old, by Auguste Eugene Leray | Image: Wikipedia
Living during the time of the French Revolution, Sophie Germain, due to being a woman, could not enjoy the concepts of liberty and had to assume a male identity to receive the lecture notes at the newly established École Polytechnique. Using the pseudonym Monsieur Le Blanc, she corresponded with great mathematicians of the time, such as Carl Friedrich Gauss. A self-taught mathematician, she made fundamental contributions to number theory and the theory of elasticity, a field in which she was a pioneer.
Marília Chaves Peixoto (1921–1961)
Marília was the first woman to be elected to the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC) in 1951 | Image: Wikipedia reproduction
A native of Santana do Livramento (RS), she was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in Mathematics in Brazil. Marília graduated in Engineering and Mathematics from the Escola Nacional de Engenharia at the Universidade do Brasil (now UFRJ) in 1943. Just five years later, in 1948, she obtained her Ph.D. in Sciences and was approved as a lecturer (livre-docente) at the same institution, an impressive achievement for that time.
With innovative research in the field of Dynamical Systems, she became, in 1951, the first Brazilian mathematician to join the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC). Alongside her husband, Maurício Peixoto, she published significant articles such as “On the inequalities y'³ G(x,y,y’,y”)” (1949) and “Structural stability in the plane with enlarged boundary conditions” (1959), both in the Annals of the ABC. She passed away prematurely in 1961, and her name is honored through the Marília Chaves Peixoto Chair, offered by FGV EMAp, encouraging the presence of women in mathematics.
Maryam Mirzakhani (1977-2017)
International Day of Women in Mathematics is celebrated on May 12th, in honor of the birthdate of Maryam Mirzakhani | Photo: Reproduction - Facebook Maryam Mirzakhani.
Born in Iran, she was one of the brightest mathematicians of her generation and the first to receive the Fields Medal. This recognition, considered the Nobel Prize of Mathematics, was awarded in 2014 for "her exceptional contributions to the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces." Maryam graduated in Mathematics from Sharif University of Technology in Tehran in 1999, and shortly after, she moved to the United States to pursue a Ph.D. at Harvard University.
Between 2004 and 2008, she worked at the Clay Mathematics Institute and taught at Princeton University before becoming a professor at Stanford University in 2008. At the time of the award, the researcher was already battling cancer, a disease that unfortunately claimed her life in 2017. She stated: “I will be happy if this encourages young scientists and mathematicians. I’m sure many more women will win this kind of award in the coming years.”
Sofia Kovalevskaya (1850–1891)
Sofia's most well-known work is related to partial differential equations | Image: Hulton Archive reproduction
Born in Moscow, Russia, she was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics in Europe. From a young age, she faced restrictions due to her gender but managed to study at the University of Heidelberg and later in Berlin. In 1874, she obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Göttingen. Despite her exceptional credentials, she struggled to enter the Russian academic field and spent years away from research.
It was only in 1884 that she secured a position at the University of Stockholm. Her studies advanced primarily in the areas of partial differential equations, mechanics, and mathematical physics. Her theorem on partial differential equations, known as the Cauchy-Kovalevskaya Theorem, was one of her major contributions. Additionally, she conducted research on the shape of Saturn's rings, the refraction of light in crystalline media, and gravitational potentials, the latter being her final publication before her death. Alongside her mathematical work, Sofia also devoted herself to literature, writing novels and texts about her childhood and youth. She passed away prematurely in 1891, at the age of 41.
The future of mathematics is diverse
Ensuring that more women occupy this space is not only a matter of equity but also of strengthening research and innovation. FGV EMAp reaffirms its commitment to valuing the female legacy in Applied Mathematics and inspiring new generations to follow this path.
“I see with optimism that society has been paying more attention to this issue and, little by little, overcoming the prejudices that historically inhibited greater female participation in scientific production in the field,” says Professor Maria Izabel Camacho.
Sources:
Book: The History of Hypatia and Many Other Mathematicians
UNESCO Report: An Unequal Equation: Increasing Women’s Participation in STEM in LAC