Baruch Mathematics Professor Louis-Pierre Arguin Selected for Prestigious Simons Foundation Grant

October 5, 2026

For 15 years, Professor Louis-Pierre Arguin has drawn on his expertise in probability and mathematical physics to investigate enduring mysteries in number theory. Now, his work is taking on a new dimension as part of a major international collaboration supported by the Simons Foundation, whose mission is “to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and basic sciences.”

Arguin is among 12 principal investigators selected for the Simons Collaboration on Universal Statistics in Number Theory, a four-year research initiative beginning January 1, 2027. The collaboration will receive $2 million annually from the Simons Foundation, with Arguin receiving $140,000 per year in research support, for a total of $560,000.

The award is highly competitive, with more than 100 groups applying in 2026 for just two Simons Collaboration awards, one in mathematics and one in physics.

Connecting Probability and Number Theory

The new collaboration will bring together researchers from mathematics, probability, and statistical physics to explore connections in number theory, one of the oldest areas of mathematics.

Arguin will work alongside internationally recognized investigators from institutions including Oxford, Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Montreal. Together, the researchers will examine the patterns, correlations and apparent randomness found in prime numbers and other mathematical structures.

Their work will address fundamental questions in number theory, including the Twin Primes Conjecture, which asks whether there are infinitely many pairs of prime numbers that differ by two, such as three and five. The researchers will also study the behavior of the Riemann zeta function, a central object in mathematics that encodes important information about the distribution of prime numbers.

An Unexpected Connection

Arguin’s interest in number theory grew out of conversations with colleagues during coffee breaks.

“I heard about a conjecture now called the Fyodorov-Hiary-Keating Conjecture that essentially connects in unexpected ways the behavior of some important functions in number theory to some probabilistic objects called branching random walks that I had been studying for many years,” Arguin explains.

“The connection is beautiful and very surprising. I have been hooked on problems at the boundary of both fields ever since.”

Supporting Research at Baruch College

The Simons Foundation funding will help finance a dedicated research assistant at Baruch for the duration of the project and provide indirect funding to the College. The collaboration will organize annual conferences and summer schools, including events planned for the New York City region.

In acknowledging the award, Arguin credited Baruch’s Office of Sponsored Programs and Research for its assistance in developing the proposal to the Simons Foundation.

“Our proposal is a good example where progress in important questions in mathematics can be made with an interdisciplinary approach,” Arguin said. “In our case, we see that a probability perspective can inform number theory. I believe we will see more of these.”

A Record of Scholarly Achievement

Arguin is a professor of mathematics at the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences and CUNY Graduate Center.

He has been awarded three grants from the National Science Foundation and was bestowed its prestigious award for early-career faculty of exceptional promise in 2017. Four years ago, he received the inaugural Weissman School Faculty Excellence Award for Scholarship and Creative Activity and was the recipient of the André Aisenstadt Prize for outstanding research achievement by a young Canadian mathematician.

Watch: Professor Arguin discusses his mathematical research.