Hi! My name is Holden Swindell (they/them) and I'm a graduate student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities studying mathematics.
My main areas of study are homotopy theory and category theory. I am also interested in homotopy type theory and synthetic differential geometry and have participated in research in geometric group theory and approximation theory. I received my undergraduate degree in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the spring of 2025.
In addition to my formal academic work, I have been involved in several service and outreach projects for the mathematical community. I was the president of the Math Club at UW-Madison, where I hosted talks and held social events for undergraduates interested in mathematics. I also organized a reading group and talks for undergraduates interested in category theory, which you can find more about here.
Besides mathematics, one of my biggest passions is education. This includes working directly with students, building large-scale strategies for improving classroom outcomes, and addressing the culture and perception around learning mathematics. I was a tutor at the Math Learning Center at UW-Madison for several years. In addition to tutoring students, I supervised and helped train tutors and developed plans and tools for better serving the undergraduate student population.
I am a strong advocate for improving diversity and representation in mathematics. No one should have their identity be an obstacle to pursuing mathematics and this requires all of us to make an effort. As part of this, I am on the Spectra outlist.
Outside of mathematics and education, one of my favorite pastimes is music! I've been playing music and looking for interesting and experimental music for most of my life.
If you would like to contact me, you can use the email below.
Email: swind027@umn.edu