Ruth Charney

Ruth Michele Charney (born 1950) is an American mathematician known for her work in geometric group theory and Artin groups. Other areas of research include K-theory and algebraic topology. She holds the Theodore and Evelyn G. Berenson Chair in Mathematics at Brandeis University. She was in the first group of mathematicians named Fellows of the American Mathematical Society. She was in the first group of mathematicians named Fellows of the Association for Women in Mathematics. She served as president of the Association for Women in Mathematics during 2013–2015, and served as president of the American Mathematical Society for the 2021–2023 term.

Life Charney attended Brandeis University, graduating in mathematics in 1972. She then attended Merce Cunningham's dance studio for a year, studying modern dance. She received her Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1977 under Wu-Chung Hsiang.

Work Following her graduation from Princeton, Charney took a postdoctoral position at University of California, Berkeley, followed by an NSF postdoctoral appointment/assistant professor position at Yale University. She worked for Ohio State University until 2003, when she returned to work at Brandeis University.

Charney served as president of the Association for Women in Mathematics during 2013–2015.

She has served as an editor of the journal Algebraic and Geometric Topology from 2000 to 2007.

Additionally, she was a member at large for the American Mathematical Society from 1992 to 1994.

Honors In 2013 Charney was named a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society in the inaugural class.

Selected publications Charney, Ruth; Davis, Michael W. Finite K(π,1)s for Artin groups. Prospects in topology (Princeton, NJ, 1994), 110–124, Ann. of Math. Stud., 138, Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, NJ, 1995. MR1368655 Charney, Ruth Geodesic automation and growth functions for Artin groups of finite type. Math. Ann. 301 (1995), no. 2, 307–324. MR1314589 Charney, Ruth Artin groups of finite type are biautomatic. Math. Ann. 292 (1992), no. 4, 671–683. MR1157320 Charney, Ruth An introduction to right-angled Artin groups. Geom. Dedicata 125 (2007), 141–158. MR2322545