Michael Thaddeus

Michael Thaddeus (born January 12, 1967) is an American mathematician and a professor of mathematics at Columbia University. He is best known for having been a whistleblower in exposing deliberately misleading data submitted by Columbia University to U.S. News & World Report (USNWR)'s Best Colleges Ranking which exaggerated the university's college ranking.[1][2]

Michael Thaddeus
Born (1967-01-12) January 12, 1967
New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater
Scientific career
FieldsAlgebraic geometry
InstitutionsHarvard University
University of Oxford
Columbia University
Institute for Advanced Study
ThesisAlgebraic Geometry and the Verlinde Formula (1992)
Doctoral advisorSimon Donaldson

Thaddeus' exposé, An Investigation of the Facts Behind Columbia’s U.S. News Ranking, was published in February 2022, identifying discrepancies such as shrunken class sizes and the exaggeration of faculty credentials.[3] Largely due to Thaddeus' analysis, Columbia later dropped from having been ranked 2nd to being ranked 18th, sparking speculation about the integrity of college rankings.[4]

Early life and education

Thaddeus was born on January 12, 1967, in New York City. He matriculated at Harvard College, graduating in 1988, and attained a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He later enrolled in St John's College, Oxford, where he earned his Doctor of Philosophy.[5] His dissertation, Algebraic Geometry and the Verlinde Formula, was published in 1992 under the supervision of Simon Donaldson.[6]

Academic career

In 1998, Thaddeus joined the mathematics faculty of Columbia University.[5] He has lectured at multiple institutions including Hunter College, Virginia Tech, and Creighton University, among others.[5]

References
  1. "Columbia whistleblower on exposing college rankings: 'They are worthless'". the Guardian. 2022-09-16. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  2. Mendoza, Jordan. "Columbia University admits to reporting inaccurate data for US News college rankings". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  3. Hartocollis, Anemona (2022-03-17). "U.S. News Ranked Columbia No. 2, but a Math Professor Has His Doubts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  4. Barron, James (2022-09-13). "Columbia Loses A-Plus Status in U.S. News Rankings". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  5. "PBK - Michael Thaddeus". www.pbk.org. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  6. Thaddeus, M. (2016). Algebraic geometry and the Verlinde formula (PhD thesis). University of Oxford.
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