Haider Riaz: diverse intellectual interests find enriching home in CCNY Math Master's program
June 22, 2026
CCNY graduate student Haider Riaz's engagement with foundational topics in physics and philosophy led him to recognize the central role of rigorous mathematical structures in these fields. This, in turn, led him to our Master's program where he completed his degree in Spring 2026.
Congratulations, Haider!
Read below, as he reflects on his time in our program and what lies next in his journey!
My motivation to do a graduate degree in mathematics happened, of all places, in a philosophy seminar. The seminar in question was on philosophy of physics, and included topics in the foundations of quantum theory and quantum field theory. As fascinated as I was with the material we were studying, I struggled with the mathematical formalism that accompanied the theories. It dawned on me that to properly pursue my intellectual interests, I needed to strengthen my background in math. After graduating from my MA program and working in the city for a few years, I decided to enroll in the math master's program at CCNY to do just that.
The math program at CCNY is quite flexible and provides students with research, independent study, and funding opportunities. Thanks to the Rich Scholarship, I was able to work on a research project in dynamical systems theory with Prof. Kucherenko. I also completed an independent study with Prof. Chatterjee on stochastic processes. Among the courses that I took, I particularly enjoyed stochastic calculus and modern algebra, both taught by Dr. Amzallag. In addition, I had a great deal of fun doing a presentation on Lie groups and Lie algebras (a topic close to my heart) for Dr. Amarasingham's linear algebra class. Lastly, my time at CCNY was particularly memorable thanks to my classmates, who were always there to help me. As for my future plans, I will be taking a break before pursuing further graduate studies in physics. In the meantime, I plan to continue working with Prof. Kucherenko on my research project and learning new math along the way.
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