A profile of Mahya Ghandehari, associate professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, won the top prize among undergraduates in the Association for Women in Mathematics’ (AWM) national student essay competition.

The story, “The Power of Perseverance: Mahya Ghandehari’s Story of Courage and Tenacity,” was written by Iniobong Ofonime, a sophomore mechanical engineering student at New Jersey Institute of Technology. It chronicles Ghandehari’s journey from an undergraduate civil engineering major in Iran who aspired to have a career in mathematics, through her graduate work at universities in Canada, to her current position at UD. Throughout her path Ghandehari overcame language barriers and feelings of self-doubt.

Ghandehari came to UD in 2015. Her research interests include analysis of large graphs; spatial networks; harmonic analysis on non-Abellian groups; and Fourier analysis on graphs.

AWM was founded in 1971 to provide an equitable and gender-inclusive community where women and girls interested in mathematics can thrive. It receives hundreds of essay competition submissions from students in grades 6-12 and undergraduates in the U.S. and abroad each year. The stories highlight contributions to the mathematical sciences by women and individuals from underrepresented identity groups.