Jill Pipher became the founding director of the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM) at Brown University.
In September 2011, Jill Pipher became the founding director of the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM) at Brown University, a National Science Foundation-funded mathematical sciences institute. This appointment marked a genuine first: Pipher was the inaugural leader tasked with building an entirely new national research institute from the ground up.
ICERM was established to foster collaboration between mathematics and computation, bringing together researchers from pure and applied mathematics, computer science, and the physical and social sciences to tackle problems requiring computational and experimental approaches. As founding director, Pipher was responsible for shaping the institute's scientific vision, recruiting talent, establishing programs, and securing the infrastructure that would allow it to become a globally recognized center for mathematical research.
This role represented a significant milestone not only in Pipher's own career but in the broader landscape of American mathematics, as she became one of the relatively few women to found and lead a major national mathematical research institute. Under her early leadership, ICERM developed a robust portfolio of semester-long research programs, workshops, and public outreach initiatives. Her success in this founding role helped pave the way for her later appointment as Brown's Vice President for Research and her election as President of the American Mathematical Society, cementing her reputation as both a top researcher and a skilled institutional leader.