Indiana-born Melanie Wood made history at 16 years old, when she became the first female to make the U.S. International Mathematical Olympiad team. She helped the team receive silver medals in 1998 and 1999, and remained the only female to make the team until 2004. Not easily put in a box, Wood was also a cheerleader and the editor of her high school newspaper at Park Tudor School in Indianapolis.
Now a number theorist, Wood has several publications under her belt in high-impact factor journals such as Advances in Mathematics and Journal of Number Theory. Wood attended Duke, Cambridge, and Princeton, picking up many awards and accolades along the way. She received the Alice T. Schafer Prize from the Association of Women in Mathematics in 2002, Fulbright and National Science Association scholarships to attend Duke University in 2003, a National Science Foundation Career Award in 2017, and, most recently, the National Science Foundation Alan T. Waterman Award in 2021.
Earlier this year, Wood received a voicemail from Sethuraman Panchanathan, the Director of the National Science Foundation. He had big news: Wood was one of two finalists for the Alan T. Waterman Award, which is the most prestigious award that recognizes scientists under 40 years old. “I think I actually used the word gobsmacked,” she said, describing the experience. “It’s not something that anyone ever expects to win. I was just blown away, completely amazed, and just so honored.”
Wood of course went on to win the award, making her not only the first female Math Olympian, but also the first female to win the prestigious Waterman in mathematics. This is also the second year in a row a woman has won the award—Emily Balskus won it in 2020 for chemistry. This award opens up exciting doors for Wood and her entire Harvard-based mathematics lab, which will be able to use the $1 million to probe higher-risk projects that wouldn’t be feasible without this type of significant and prestigious financial backing.