When you think of breakthroughs in science and technology, you might picture test tubes, brightly lit labs, and giant, high‑tech machines. Few of us imagine the quiet power of abstract mathematics. Yet much of the invisible infrastructure beneath the digital innovation of the 21st century is built on algebra.

At the heart of that foundation is Melvin Hochster, the Jack E. McLaughlin Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Mathematics. 

Hochster’s groundbreaking work in the field of commutative algebra might seem highly theoretical, but it’s actually rooted in the same algebra most of us studied in high school and vital to many things we use daily. This area of math helps scientists and engineers understand patterns and structures, paving the way for innovations in error-correcting codes that power everything from reliable data transmission and security to blockbuster movie animation, computer-aided car design, and medical technology. While Hochster’s research has been more foundational and not focused on specific applications, future scientists and engineers will build on today’s cutting edge of algebra to lay the foundations of tomorrow’s technology, just as basic math research of prior centuries and decades has profoundly shaped our understanding of the world around us and improved countless aspects of our everyday lives. 

Over a storied career at the University of Michigan, Hochster has been recognized as one of the world’s leading and most prolific mathematicians, a pioneer in commutative algebra, and a treasured mentor.

Ripple Effects of Mentorship

From the time he joined the Department of Mathematics faculty in 1977 until his retirement in 2022, Hochster authored more than 110 research publications, mentored 50 doctoral students, 20 postdocs, and numerous undergraduate research students, and, as department chair for nine years, attracted top global talent to help position Michigan Math as a world leader. Even in retirement, his influence continues to expand. The Mathematics Genealogy Project records nearly 100 additional doctoral student descendants (and counting)—the advisees of his advisees. 

Anurag Singh (Ph.D. 1998), professor of mathematics at the University of Utah was one of Mel’s students. He shared that "Mel’s generosity with his time and ideas are legendary, combining his mathematical brilliance with a selfless, generous, and caring attitude. In addition to his students and postdocs, it was also common for Mel to spend time with every junior person in his research area.

“For example,” said Singh, “a former student of mine was a National Science Foundation (NSF) postdoc at Michigan.” Even though Hochster wasn’t the postdoc’s advisor, “Mel met with him each week, and continued doing so on Zoom for years. I am delighted to be a coauthor on one of their four joint papers—which makes it three generations from our mathematical family tree collaborating on a paper.”

His work also earned prestigious honors: the Frank Nelson Cole Prize in Algebra from the American Mathematical Society (1980), a Guggenheim Fellowship (1982), and election to both the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1992). He received the Margaret and Herman Sokol Faculty Award for the 2001-02 academic year, recognizing his distinguished contributions to graduate education, scholarship, and research. The Association for Women in Mathematics has noted his key role in increasing the number of women in mathematics. 

Yet despite his towering reputation, Hochster has always remained humble and fiercely committed to supporting students and colleagues in his community. Through his mentorship, he’s shaped a generation of mathematicians: researchers who themselves lead departments at top research universities, guide doctoral students, and carry on the important work of foundational mathematics.

“Mel Hochster has encouraged countless mentees to succeed at the very highest level, many of them women who have become highly visible researchers in commutative algebra,” said Karen Smith, chair of the Department of Mathematics in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA), and herself a product of Hochster’s mentorship as her Ph.D. advisor. “His guidance has had a ripple effect in mathematicians doing amazing things in commutative algebra around the globe.” 

Patricia Klein is a tenure-track assistant professor at Texas A&M University, “a trajectory,” she said, “I could not even have imagined without Mel’s support and guidance. I am now mentoring my first Ph.D. student and often think of the example that Mel set for me.

“I remember him going out of his way to introduce me to anyone within earshot at conferences, inviting me to not only join him and other senior faculty at conference dinners but encouraging me to bring another grad student or two along,” Klein continued. “His actions had a profound impact on my ability to establish connections with potential postdoc mentors and, even more importantly, on my sense of belonging within the community. These recollections loom large for me when I am at a conference with my own student now. I am at my best as a mentor when I am emulating Mel’s fine example.”

Honoring a Legacy, Investing in Tomorrow

To honor Hochster’s legacy and ensure its continuation, the College of LSA has established the Mel Hochster Research and Mentoring Award. Mathematics launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds in support of the award in August 2025, coinciding with Mel’s 82nd birthday. The campaign includes a generous $200,000 match pool, donated by a Hochster mentee and professional collaborator, who began working with Mel as a Junior Fellow in U-M’s Society of Fellows in the late 1970s. The first $100,000 in gifts received will be matched two-for-one, tripling the amount of each individual donation. 

The Mel Hochster Research and Mentoring Award will recognize faculty who embody Hochster’s dual devotion to pioneering research and dedicated mentoring. Recipients will receive funding for their research projects, their mentees, and the infrastructure that supports active scholarship: seminars, conference travel, and lab or computational resources.

In an era when federal funding for fundamental research is facing increasing uncertainty, private support becomes increasingly vital. Gifts to support this fellowship will help ensure that LSA can continue to recruit and retain internationally renowned mathematicians—individuals whose curiosity drives discovery, whose work builds the frameworks of future innovation, and whose mentoring shapes the next generation of scholars.

"The Mel Hochster Award will help us recruit and retain exceptional faculty like Mel—people who are truly rare and valued everywhere. This fund gives the University of Michigan an edge by enabling faculty to more fully support their mentees and research groups with enhanced and meaningful academic activities,” said Smith. “It honors Mel’s legacy by empowering young mathematicians and investing in our math research community’s talent and future.”

Why Support Matters, and How It Grows

When one considers Hochster as a community builder in the realm of algebra, it should be no surprise that the response to the Mel Hochster Research and Mentoring Award crowdfunding campaign so far has been nothing short of inspiring, attracting 129 donors to date, more than half of whom are giving to Michigan Math for the first time. The level and diversity of donor engagement speak to loyalty, as well as to the resonance of Hochster’s work and relationships with alumni, colleagues, mathematicians, and friends of the university.

One of those first-time donors, Dr. Samuel Altschul (Ph.D. ’13), gave to the campaign because of the profound impact of Mel’s support. “Mel Hochster granted the critical funding I needed to write up my thesis and finish my Ph.D. Mel came in unprompted, asked nothing of me, and provided when no one else would,” said Altschul. “I don't know if or how I would have finished, and I don't know how or if I would have ended up a scientist without Mel's kindness.”

As the campaign continues, every new gift brings the department closer to its goal and the Mel Hochster Research and Mentoring Award closer to its first recipient. Every gift is an affirmation: That mathematics research—abstract, foundational, fundamental—deserves sustained support. That mentorship, generosity, and scholarly curiosity deserve to flourish, and that the University of Michigan will remain a place where deep thinking is valued, brilliant mathematicians are supported, and the next generation of researchers is nurtured.

“The Mel Hochster Award is about honoring more than Mel’s legacy,” said Smith. “It’s a testament to future-thinking, curiosity-driven research. Today’s mathematical discoveries will have applications for the technology and innovation that society will rely on in the future.”

There’s still time to make a 3x impact! As of January 9, 2026, the campaign has raised nearly $206,000 toward the $300,000 goal. To triple your gift to the Mel Hochster Research and Mentoring Award, please visit our secure online giving page. Gifts will continue to be matched 2:1 while match funds remain.

Life-Changing Education in LSA

In the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, life-changing education in the liberal arts and sciences extends beyond the classroom. With exceptional faculty and researchers who not only lead their fields globally but also generously share their time and resources as teachers, mentors, and colleagues, research collaboration flourishes, scholarly communities thrive, and U-M’s innovation and discovery continue to drive positive change.

 

Look to Michigan for the foundational knowledge and experience to ignite purposeful change. 

LSA is the place where creative thinkers engage with a complex, diverse, and changing world. See how your support can make an impact on what’s next, for a better tomorrow. Learn more.