Florian Schäfer Receives 2026 Sloan Research Fellowship

February 17, 2026

Florian Schäfer, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, has been named among the 2026 Sloan Research Fellows.

“The Sloan Research Fellows are among the most promising early-career researchers in the US and Canada, already driving meaningful progress in their respective disciplines,” says Stacie Bloom, president and CEO of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “We look forward to seeing how these exceptional scholars continue to unlock new scientific advancements, redefine their fields, and foster the wellbeing and knowledge of all.”

Fellows receive $75,000, over a two-year period, to further their research. In total, four NYU faculty members received the honor this year. 

Florian Schäfer’s work has centered on the interplay of numerical computation and statistical inference. Schäfer and his colleagues have developed algorithms, techniques, and methods that have the potential to improve computer graphics, materials, and aircraft designs. He is currently working on developing information geometric mechanics—an interdisciplinary field that revisits the statistical foundations of computational mechanics—which has the potential to improve the integration of physical simulation with statistical modeling and optimization.