Renu Chakravarti Laskar (August 8, 1932 – September 17, 2024) was an Indian-born American mathematician, specializing in

graph theory In mathematics and computer science, graph theory is the study of ''graph (discrete mathematics), graphs'', which are mathematical structures used to model pairwise relations between objects. A graph in this context is made up of ''Vertex (graph ...

. She was a Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

from 1968 to 2006. She received her Ph.D. in Mathematics from the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

in 1962. Laskar's life was marked by a personal loss when her husband, Amulya L. Laskar, a distinguished professor of physics, died in 1991. His obituary in The New York Times recognized his contributions to physics and his role at Clemson University. Laskar has often contributed to the theory of

domination number Domination or dominant may refer to: Society * World domination, structure where one dominant power governs the planet * Colonialism in which one group (usually a nation) invades another region for material gain or to eliminate competition * Ch ...

and circular arc graphs. She wrote four papers with

Paul Erdős Paul Erdős ( ; 26March 191320September 1996) was a Hungarian mathematician. He was one of the most prolific mathematicians and producers of mathematical conjectures of the 20th century. pursued and proposed problems in discrete mathematics, g ...

, giving her an

Erdős number The Erdős number () describes the "collaborative distance" between mathematician Paul Erdős and another person, as measured by authorship of mathematical papers. The same principle has been applied in other fields where a particular individual ...

of 1.

Early life and education

Renu C. Laskar was born in

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

, India on August 8, 1932. With the help of her family support, she finished her schooling and college, which wasn't much accessible to the women that time due to the cultural norms prevalent in India. It was during that time, when she discovered her talent for mathematics. Her pursuit of mathematics was influenced by her mother, who, after confronting the limitations of her own lack of formal education, learned multiple languages and advocated for her daughters' education. Laskar, not allowed to attend college due to her father's reservations, continued her studies at home with the assistance of tutors. She distinguished herself by scoring the highest in Bihar on her bachelor's degree examination. This led to a teaching offer at Ranchi Women’s College, and subsequently, a Fulbright Scholarship allowed her to travel to the United States in 1958. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she achieved her doctorate under the guidance of Roy Brahana and became the first Indian woman to do so at the institution. After earning her Ph.D., she married Amulya Lal Laskar, a physicist she met while studying in Illinois. She finished her Master's degree in Mathematics from B. R. Ambedkar Bihar University in 1955. Upon finishing college, Laskar, with strong encouragement from her elder brother, decided to come to the United States to pursue her Ph.D. in 1958. She studied for her Ph.D. at the

under her advisor Henry Roy Brahana and graduated in 1962. She was the first female Indian to receive a Ph.D. in Mathematics from UIUC. She returned to India and joined the

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur The Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur or IIT-KGP) is a public institute of technology, research university, and autonomous institute established by the Government of India in Kharagpur, West Bengal. Founded in 1951, the in ...

as the first female faculty member at the institute. In 1965, Laskar moved back to the United States at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

, and then joined the faculty at

in 1968.

Academic life

Laskar took full advantage of the opportunities she had and set new standards for women in mathematics. She ranks among the top women in discrete mathematics in the number of articles published. According to MathSciNet, she has over 100 publications. Part of the reason for her success in this area was her collaboration network, which included

Raj Chandra Bose Raj Chandra Bose (or Basu) (19 June 1901 – 31 October 1987) was an Indian American mathematician and statistician best known for his work in design theory, finite geometry and the theory of error-correcting codes in which the class of BCH c ...

and

. She extended her influence by supervising Ph.D. students, even after her retirement in 2006. In 1986, Laskar and Steve Hedetniemi organized the Clemson University Discrete Math Miniconference, an event that has drawn an international audience each year since. Reflecting on her career, Laskar emphasized the value of academic relationships, both in her research and personal life, noting that many of her colleagues, including Erdős, were guests in her home. Her dedication to mathematics and education was accompanied by a fondness for teaching and the opportunity to mentor students and collaborate with peers. She has credited Clemson University with providing her a platform to excel and contribute to her field.

Death

Laskar died from complications of a stroke in

Mountain View, California Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. Named for its views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the population was 82,376 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Mountain V ...

, on September 17, 2024, at the age of 92.

References

External links

Laskar's page at Clemson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laskar, Renu Chakravarti 1932 births 2024 deaths Graph theorists Indian emigrants to the United States University of Illinois alumni Clemson University faculty Mathematicians from South Carolina 20th-century Indian mathematicians 21st-century Indian women mathematicians 21st-century Indian mathematicians 20th-century American women mathematicians 20th-century American mathematicians 21st-century American women 20th-century Indian women mathematicians