Americas Prize Winner: Maria Soares Ruas

Left to right: Thais Dalbelo, Julia Ruas, Carolina Araujo

Maria Aparecida Soares Ruas was Professor Emerita of Mathematics at the Institute of Mathematical and Computational Sciences (ICMC) at the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) who passed away June 30, 2025, at age 77. Her research interests focused on differential geometry and singularity theory, and she obtained her Ph.D. from USP in 1983.

With more than 80 scientific articles published in international journals, Soares Ruas participated in the production of five books including as co-author of Differential Geometry from a Singularity Theory Viewpoint and directed students at the undergraduate, master's, doctorate and post-doctorate levels. At ICMC, she held several leadership positions as head of the Department of Mathematics, president of the Graduate Commission (in two administrations), and was vice-director.

She was elected in 2008 to the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and served on the the Committee of Awareness of Mathematics and Statistics of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development. In addition, she was a founding partner and was part of the board of directors of the Brazilian Mathematical Society and organized a biennial Workshop on Real and Complex Singularities in Brazil.

Recently, in January 2025, she had received the Latin American Prize for Mathematical Leadership from the Institute of Mathematical Sciences of the Americas (IMSA)). In December 2024, she was elected head of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).

Her daughter Julia Ruas and her former Ph.D. student Thais Dalbelo accepted the Americas Prize on Professor Soares Ruas' behalf.