Welcome! I am an Assistant Professor in the Mathematics Department at Cal Poly.

Previously I was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow and Instructor at the University of Virginia, working with Slava Krushkal, and before that I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, working with Arunima Ray. I completed my Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Georgia in 2022, advised by David Gay, and my B.A. in mathematics at Saint Louis University in 2016.

In the Fall 2026 semester I will participate in the IPAM semester program “Quantum Topology, Character Varieties and Low-Dimensional Geometry.” To see what else I’ve been up to lately, check out my research, teaching, and outreach pages. For a more detailed version of my mathematical history, view my CV here or click the button below. For even more about me, see my about page.

I can be reached at sblack03 (at) calpoly (dot) edu.

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I subscribe to Federico Ardila’s axioms:

  1. Mathematical potential is distributed equally among different groups, irrespective of geographic, demographic, and economic boundaries.
  2. Everyone can have joyful, meaningful, and empowering mathematical experiences.
  3. Mathematics is a powerful, malleable tool that can be shaped and used differently by various communities to serve their needs.
  4. Every student deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.