Math Appreciation Week Keynote Speaker: Dr. Ranthony Clark

Abstract: How can mathematics be used to confront some of the most pressing social issues of our time? In this talk, I share my journey toward building a research agenda grounded in Quantitative Justice—an emerging interdisciplinary field that uses mathematical, statistical, and computational tools to examine structural inequities, with a focus on voting rights and redistricting. I reflect on the challenges and transformations involved in shifting toward applied, data-driven work, and how learning new methods—from ensemble-based simulations to geometric and statistical modeling—has allowed me to contribute to questions of fairness, representation, and power in democratic systems.