Overview
The Mathematics Genealogy Project is an online database that records the academic relationships and basic biographical data of mathematicians and related researchers. Its primary focus is on doctoral-level training: who supervised whom, the year a degree was awarded, and the title or topic of the thesis. The resource is widely used to trace intellectual lineages, explore networks of mentorship, and provide a centralized reference for historical and bibliographic work.
Content and structure
Entries typically contain the graduate’s name, degree year, dissertation title or topic, granting institution, doctoral advisor(s), and the list of doctoral students supervised. Many entries include variant name forms, departmental affiliations, and occasional notes on joint or interdisciplinary degrees. The site allows searches and browsing of genealogical trees to follow chains of supervision backward or forward across generations.
How to access and contribute
The collection is made available through an online interface that offers search tools and profile pages for individuals. Users can consult the main database via its public page: Project homepage. Contributors and editors often improve records by submitting corrections, additional theses, or missing advisor-student links; community input helps expand coverage and accuracy (contribution information).
History and development
The project began as an attempt to document doctoral mentorship in the mathematical sciences and has grown through a mix of automated imports from institutional records, bibliographic research, and volunteer submissions. Over time it has accumulated extensive data spanning many countries and academic traditions, though coverage is stronger where records are readily available.
Uses, strengths, and limitations
- Uses: historical research, verification of academic credentials, network and citation studies, and personal or departmental genealogies.
- Strengths: centralized, searchable repository emphasizing advisor–student relationships and thesis metadata.
- Limitations: not exhaustive; entries can contain omissions or inconsistencies due to name variants, institutional changes, or incomplete historical records. Users should cross-check important details with primary sources or institutional archives when precision is required.
Notable points and further reading
The project highlights how mathematical ideas and teaching pass across generations and institutions. For guidance on interpreting records and for policies on data correction, see the project's help pages: database guidance and submission guidelines. Researchers often combine its genealogical links with publication and citation data to study the transmission of knowledge in the mathematical sciences.