federico ardila mantilla
chair of combinatorics . queen mary university of london
professor of mathematics . san francisco state university (on leave)
. research .
teaching .
society .
outreach .
cv .
interviews .
other .
| 
|
(Photo: May-Li Khoe)
About me:
I am a Colombian-American mathematician working in combinatorics and its connections to geometry, algebra, topology, and applications.
I work towards fostering an increasingly just, equitable, and welcoming community of mathematicians that benefits from our differences and serves the needs of all communities.
About my job:
Since 2026, I am Royal Society Wolfson Fellow of the United Kingdom and (non-administrative)
Chair of Combinatorics at Queen Mary University of London.
About my axioms:
In Todos Cuentan
I wrote some axioms that have been a useful foundation for my educational and outreach efforts.
I also find them far from perfect, a constant work in progress, as any work of this sort must be.
I'll post some slightly updated ones:
Axiom 1. Mathematical potential is equally present in different groups, irrespective of geographic, demographic, and economic boundaries.
Axiom 2. Everyone can have joyful, meaningful, and empowering mathematical experiences.
Axiom 3. Mathematics is a powerful, malleable tool that can be shaped and used differently by various communities to serve their needs.
Axiom 4. Every student deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
These statements should not sound revolutionary, but considering the current practices of the mathematical society,
they are a pressing call to action.
I have to admit I've been surprised to see how many mathematicians have posted these on their websites,
and even job applications. I mean, thank you. Also, let me invite you to discuss them, debate them,
improve on them, and tell us how you bring them into action; we all learn from each other. You can
see some of my efforts in this direction in the
teaching,
society, and
outreach tabs of my website.
About my name:
It's Federico. My full name is Federico Ardila Mantilla,
recognizing the last names of my father (Ardila) and mother (Mantilla), as is conventional in Spanish-speaking
countries. I don't have a middle name, which is unusual in Spanish-speaking countries. Because this confuses
most non-Spanish-speakers and most algorithms, and because my name-and-first-last-name combination is uncommon,
I use the names Federico Ardila and Federico Ardila-Mantilla, and have published under both of these names.
Feel free to use either of them.
My pronouns are he/him in English and él in Spanish.