Terrence Blackman

Mathematician and professor Terrence R. Blackman was born on December 28, 1968, to Joan and Terrence Blackman in Georgetown, Guyana. Blackman received his B.S. degree in mathematics from Brooklyn College in 1991, his M.Phil. degree in mathematics from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in 2000, and his Ph.D. degree in mathematics from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in 2011.

In 1996, Blackman was hired as an adjunct lecturer at CUNY’s Medgar Evers College, and later, he began teaching also as an adjunct lecturer at CUNY’s Lehman and John Jay Colleges. In 2000, Blackman was promoted to instructor and in 2001 assistant professor of mathematics at Medgar Evers College. He transferred to the University of Denver as an assistant professor in 2013 before returning to Medgar Evers College as an associate professor and chair of the department of mathematics in 2015. At Medgar Evers College, he rose to become first the interim dean of the school of science, health and technology and then dean of the school of science, health and technology in 2018. In 2023, Blackman was chosen to chair the mathematics department at Medgar Evers College. He also, over a period of years, served as a Five College Fellow at Mount Holyoke College and a NEAGEP Summer Faculty Fellow at Boston University. He was also twice a visiting instructor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; first as a Dr. Martin Luther King Visiting Assistant Professor; and second as visiting professor. Blackman was also honored as a visitor at the Institute for Advanced Study and served as a program leader with Legacy Pathways in 2013.

Blackman joined the executive council of the National Alliance for Doctoral Studies in the Mathematical Sciences as the chair in 2023. He has also served on the board of the National Association of Mathematicians and as the chair of the Math Alliance.

Blackman and his wife, Anna Levman, live in New York City, New York. They have two children, Terrence and Zuri Blackman.

Terrence R. Blackman was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on February 12, 2024.