Yvonne Lai is an expert in the field of Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching. Her current research program seeks to improve the education of secondary mathematics teachers and early mathematics majors by bridging disciplinary perspectives from mathematics and education. She has been an investigator or co-investigator on projects receiving a total of nearly $8M in funding. Her collaborators include those from The Algebra Project, the Educational Testing Service, and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. Lai is a member of the National Academies Mathematical Sciences Education Board, a Steering Committee member of the CBMS Mathematical Education of Teachers, III, a member at large on the Council of the AMS, past chair of the MAA’s Committee on the Mathematical Education of Teachers, and founding chair of the MAA’s Special Interest Group on Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching, an organization with now over 200 members, to support mathematics faculty invested in teacher education. She is Vice Chair of the Board of the Mathematical Foundation of America, which oversees the Canada/USA Mathcamp for high school students, where she was previously an instructor and a student. Lai received the 2025 AMS Award for Impact on the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics and the 2025 MAA Haimo Award.
Awards, etc.: See professional bio page.
A biosketch in the form of pictures follows:
Yvonne Lai 