Maura Mast

Dean, Fordham College at Rose Hill

Dr. Maura Mast has served as Dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill since August 2015. She is the first woman – and first mathematician – to be dean of the college. Before joining Fordham, she held tenured positions at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the University of Northern Iowa, as well as visiting positions at Northeastern University, Wellesley College, and the University of Notre Dame.

Dr. Mast received her BA from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in mathematics and anthropology and her PhD in mathematics from the University of North Carolina. Her mathematics research in differential geometry focuses on the geometry of two-step Riemannian nilmanifolds and she has published and presented her work in national and international venues. Throughout her career, Dr. Mast has been an advocate for student success in mathematics, with a deeply held conviction that mathematics can be used a way to overcome injustice and inequality. She is an award-winning teacher; has received numerous grants to support her teaching and research; and has held leadership positions in several professional mathematics societies, including the Association for Women in Mathematics. In addition to her mathematical research, her publications a co-edited book celebrating 100 years of contributions by women to mathematics and a quantitative reasoning textbook, Common Sense Mathematics, which was honored by the Daniel Solow Author’s Award in 2022 for its impact on undergraduate education in mathematics. In recognition of her advocacy for women in mathematics, Dr. Mast was named a Fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics in 2019.

Dr. Mast is a member of the Clavius Mathematics Group, an international association of Catholic mathematicians that meets annually as a community to conduct mathematics research and engage in dialogue about the relationship between faith and reason. She lives in the Bronx with her husband Jack, children Brendan, Maeve, and Nuala, and dog Pumpkin.