$27.2M Gift to Support Math Research, Outreach

Longtime benefactors of the University of Maryland have made a new $27.2 million gift to the Department of Mathematics to endow the Brin Mathematics Research Center, establish a new endowed chair and pilot a camp for talented high school students in the state.

The gift from UMD mathematics Professor Emeritus Michael Brin and his wife, Eugenia, a retired NASA scientist, is the fourth-largest outright gift to the university from an individual and the largest ever to the department. The couple gave $4.75 million to establish the center in 2021.

“We are always happy to help support the Department of Mathematics at the University of Maryland,” says Michael Brin.

The Brin Mathematics Research Center, which will receive $25 million of the new gift, is a platform for UMD to expand and spotlight its mathematics and statistics research excellence nationally and internationally. The center brings hundreds of mathematicians to the university every year for workshops, summer schools and distinguished lectures. Since its launch, the University of Maryland rose to become the No. 20 graduate-level math program, and No. 6 among public institutions, according to U.S. News & World Report.

“This generous gift from the Brins ensures that the research and scholarship taking place in the Brin Mathematics Research Center will continue for generations to come,” said Amitabh Varshney, dean of the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences. “The additional support for an endowed chair is critical for recruiting and retaining the best faculty members in mathematics, and we’re excited that the summer camp will bring young scholars to College Park to explore our programs and campus.”

Michael and Eugenia Brin, parents to Google co-founder Sergey Brin ’93 and Samuel Brin ’09, have made other significant gifts to support UMD’s computer science and math departments, Russian program; and School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies.