JERSEY CITY, N.J. – May 21, 2026 – Saint Peter’s University proudly announces that Dr. Brian Hopkins, professor in the Mathematics Department, has been selected to receive a Fulbright Scholar Award for Spring 2027, recognizing his continued contributions to mathematics research and higher education.
Through the Fulbright–Budapest Semesters in Mathematics–Rényi Institute Scholar Award in Mathematics, Hopkins will travel to Hungary where he will conduct an independent research project while participating in the research community at the HUN-REN Alfred Rényi Institute, one of Europe’s leading mathematical research centers.
The program brings together scholars working across a broad range of mathematical disciplines, including combinatorics, combinatorial optimization, number theory, mathematical foundations of artificial intelligence, network theory, algebraic geometry and topology.
“It’s a great honor to be selected as a Fulbright Scholar for spring 2027 in Hungary,” said Hopkins. “This is a unique mathematics opportunity, jointly sponsored by a prestigious study-abroad program and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.”
“I will give seminars for students in the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics and work with them on research projects, similar to our work with students in the Honors Program,” Hopkins added. “For four months I will also join the rich research environment of the Alfred Rényi Institute, the mathematics arm of their national sciences academy.”
Hopkins’s primary research focuses on integer partitions, a field studying collections of natural numbers with fixed sums that was first explored by mathematician Leonhard Euler and continues to generate new discoveries today.
His Fulbright research will expand upon partition statistics work he began in 2020—research that has already contributed to more than 60 academic publications by researchers around the world. By exploring additional perspectives on these classical mathematical structures, Hopkins hopes to create deeper understanding and identify new applications in fields such as physics and computer science.
Hopkins earned his Ph.D. from the University of Washington and holds both a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas.
His accomplishments include receiving the 2015 Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching from the Mathematical Association of America, serving as editor of The College Mathematics Journal from 2014 through 2018, publishing more than 20 research papers, editing three books and presenting research internationally.
The Fulbright Scholar Award represents another milestone in Hopkins’s distinguished academic career and reflects Saint Peter’s University’s continued commitment to advancing research, scholarship and global engagement.
Saint Peter’s University congratulates Dr. Hopkins on this prestigious achievement and celebrates his continued contributions to the University community and the field of mathematics.