Érika Roldán Roa

Érika Roldán Roa (they/them) is a mathematician with expertise in stochastic topology, topological and geometric data analysis, and extremal topological combinatorics. Their work also includes research on discrete configuration spaces and recreational mathematics. They integrate gamification and visualization technologies into their research. Additionally, they use artificial intelligence and machine learning to address problems in these fields.

They are currently leading the research group Stochastic Topology and its Applications at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences. They are also affiliated with the Center for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (ScaDS.AI) at Universität Leipzig. At ScaDS.AI, they lead research projects on computational complexity, educational technology, and learning analytics.

Erika Roldán Roa also works in educational technology and learning analytics. Their work is dedicated to fostering a deep appreciation for mathematics and its practical applications among the general public. They place particular emphasis on increasing the participation of under-represented communities in STEM fields. This includes a focus on the intersection of STEM and the arts.

They are the founder of the outreach initiative BAMM at Ohio State University and the co-founder of Matemorfosis at CIMAT, and Play My Math. At the 11th Heidelberg Laureate Forum in September, they presented one of their projects – The Fence Challenge, and were one of the panellists in the discussion on "Innovative Formats of Science Communication".