Charlotte Chan, an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Michigan, has been named a 2025 Packard Fellow by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. She is one of 20 early-career scientists and engineers selected for this honor.
Each fellow will receive $875,000 over five years to support their research. Chan works in representation theory, a field that provides mathematical tools for understanding symmetry. She described her reaction to receiving the fellowship: “I’m overwhelmed and very honored. I still can’t believe it.”
Representation theory offers ways to solve problems not only in mathematics but also in other scientific and engineering disciplines where symmetry plays a role. Karen Smith, professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics at U-M, praised Chan’s approach: “I’ve known Charlotte since she was a beginning graduate student and have always been impressed by her incredible bravery, ambition and optimism about even the most difficult mathematical endeavors. Her courage has driven her to take on some of the hardest questions in representation theory, and her perseverance has led her to solve many of them.”
Smith added: “The Packard Foundation has made an excellent choice in selecting Charlotte as a 2026 Fellow. She will take on big risks to pursue the biggest questions, which is exactly what they are trying to support. I am incredibly proud to be a member of a department with researchers like Charlotte Chan for colleagues.”
Chan said she enjoys connecting ideas from representation theory with other areas of mathematics: “My favorite kind of thing in math is when subjects talk to each other. If you have a way to bridge between two subjects, you can bounce back and forth. In these different subjects, different things are easy and different things are hard. So you can try to leverage the easy things on one side and to get at the hard stuff on the other.” She noted that such connections can reveal unexpected phenomena.
Nancy Lindborg, president and CEO of the Packard Foundation, commented on this year’s fellows: “These visionary Packard Fellows are pushing the boundaries of knowledge, and their bold ideas will become tomorrow’s real-world solution.”
The Packard Fellowships were established 37 years ago by David Packard’s foundation to strengthen university-based science and engineering programs across the United States. Since its inception, more than $500 million has been awarded to support 735 scientists and engineers from 55 universities.
Lindborg said: “David Packard believed that science was the cornerstone of America’s progress. He invested in science not only because it drives innovation, but because it is a public good that strengthens our society and our shared future. Today, that vision matters more than ever.”
Chan plans to use the fellowship funds primarily for research activities for herself and her team but emphasized that she values having flexibility with how she uses the resources: “The generosity and flexibility of the fellowship afford me freedom,” Chan said. “And I think that’s one of the most precious resources a researcher can have.”
