
Caterina (Katia) Consani (born 1963) is an Italian mathematician specializing in
arithmetic geometry
In mathematics, arithmetic geometry is roughly the application of techniques from algebraic geometry to problems in number theory. Arithmetic geometry is centered around Diophantine geometry, the study of rational points of algebraic varieties.
...
. She is a professor of mathematics at
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...
.
Contributions

Consani is the namesake of the
Consani–Scholten quintic
In the mathematical fields of algebraic geometry and arithmetic geometry, the Consani–Scholten quintic is an algebraic variety, algebraic hypersurface (the set of solutions to a single polynomial equation in multiple variables) studied in 2001 b ...
, a
quintic threefold In mathematics, a quintic threefold is a 3-dimensional hypersurface of degree 5 in 4-dimensional projective space \mathbb^4. Non-singular quintic threefolds are Calabi–Yau manifolds.
The Hodge diamond of a non-singular quintic 3-fold is
Physi ...
that she described with Jasper Scholten in 2001,
and of the Connes–Consani plane connection, a relationship between the
field with one element
In mathematics, the field with one element is a suggestive name for an object that should behave similarly to a finite field with a single element, if such a field could exist. This object is denoted F1, or, in a French–English pun, Fun. The nam ...
and certain
group action
In mathematics, a group action of a group G on a set S is a group homomorphism from G to some group (under function composition) of functions from S to itself. It is said that G acts on S.
Many sets of transformations form a group under ...
s on
projective space
In mathematics, the concept of a projective space originated from the visual effect of perspective, where parallel lines seem to meet ''at infinity''. A projective space may thus be viewed as the extension of a Euclidean space, or, more generally ...
s investigated by Consani with
Alain Connes
Alain Connes (; born 1 April 1947) is a French mathematician, known for his contributions to the study of operator algebras and noncommutative geometry. He was a professor at the , , Ohio State University and Vanderbilt University. He was awar ...
.
She is also known for her work with
Matilde Marcolli
Matilde Marcolli is an Italian and American mathematical physicist. She has conducted research work in areas of mathematics and theoretical physics; obtained the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz-Preis of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, and the Sofia Kova ...
on
Arakelov theory
In mathematics, Arakelov theory (or Arakelov geometry) is an approach to Diophantine geometry, named for Suren Arakelov. It is used to study Diophantine equations in higher dimensions.
Background
The main motivation behind Arakelov geometry is tha ...
and
noncommutative geometry
Noncommutative geometry (NCG) is a branch of mathematics concerned with a geometric approach to noncommutative algebras, and with the construction of ''spaces'' that are locally presented by noncommutative algebras of functions, possibly in some g ...
.
Education and career
Consani was born January 9, 1963, in
Chiavari
Chiavari (; ) is a seaside comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, in Italy. It has about 28,000 inhabitants. It has a beachside promenade and a marina and is situated near the river Entella (river), Entella.
History
Pre-Rom ...
.
She earned a
laurea
In Italy, the ''laurea'' is the main post-secondary academic degree. The name originally referred literally to the laurel wreath, since ancient times a sign of honor and now worn by Italian students right after their official graduation ceremo ...
in mathematics in 1986 at the
University of Genoa
The University of Genoa () is a public research university. It is one of the largest universities in Italy and it is located in the city of Genoa, on the Italian Riviera in the Liguria region of northwestern Italy. The original university was fou ...
,
a doctorate (''dottorato di ricerca'') in 1992 from the University of Genoa and the
University of Turin
The University of Turin (Italian language, Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Torino'', UNITO) is a public university, public research university in the city of Turin, in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region of Italy. It is one of the List ...
, and a second doctorate in 1996 from the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
. Her first doctoral dissertation was ''Teoria dell’ intersezione e K-teoria su varietà singolari'', supervised by Claudio Pedrini, and her second dissertation was ''Double Complexes and Euler L-factors on Degenerations of Algebraic Varieties'', supervised by
Spencer Bloch
Spencer Janney Bloch (born May 22, 1944; New York City) is an American mathematician known for his contributions to algebraic geometry and algebraic ''K''-theory. Bloch is a R. M. Hutchins Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in the Departm ...
.
She was a
C. L. E. Moore instructor
The job title of C. L. E. Moore instructor is given by the Math Department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology to recent math Ph.D.s hired for their promise in pure mathematics research. The instructors are expected to do both teaching and res ...
at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
from 1996 to 1999, overlapping with a research visit in 1998 to the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
. After additional postdoctoral research at the
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry located in Princeton, New Jersey. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholars, including Albert Ein ...
, she became an assistant professor at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
in 2000, and moved to Johns Hopkins in 2005.
Recognition
Consani was elected as a Fellow of the
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...
in the 2024 class of fellows.
Selected publications
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Consani, Caterina
1963 births
Living people
21st-century American mathematicians
Italian mathematicians
University of Genoa alumni
University of Turin alumni
University of Chicago alumni
Academic staff of the University of Toronto
Johns Hopkins University faculty
21st-century American women mathematicians
People from Chiavari
Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science faculty
Fellows of the American Mathematical Society