Icey Siyi Ai

Hi! I'm a rising second year IEOR PhD student at Columbia University, advised by Lily Xu and Cliff Stein. I'm interested in using optimization and operations research to tackle real-world problems involving animals and ecosystems. Before Columbia, I studied math at Princeton, where I worked with Maria Chudnovsky on structural graph theory. I love research that combines rigorous mathematical thinking with ecological and social impact.

I am happy to chat about my current research and future opportunities! Please contact me via email at icey.ai@columbia.edu.

Temporary

• Route cluster analytics report

Papers and Preprints

• Localized Erdős-Pósa Property for Subdivisions
  Icey Siyi Ai, Maria Chudnovsky, and Julien Codsi
  Preprint, under review [arXiv]


• Edge Reconstruction Number for Special Families of Regular Graphs
  Icey Siyi Ai
  Princeton Undergraduate Research Journal 1(2), 37-42, 2023 [pdf]

Teaching

• Teaching Assistant, IEOR E4524: Analytics in Practice, Columbia University, Spring 2026


• Undergraduate Course Assistant and Grader, Princeton University, 2022-2025
  Mathematics: MAT 378 Theory of Games; MAT 215 Single Variable Analysis
  Computer Science: COS 324 Introduction to Machine Learning; COS 126 Computer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach
  Chinese: CHI 451 Fifth Year Modern Chinese I; CHI 403/404 Fourth Year Modern Chinese

Awards and Honors

• Graduated with High Honors in Mathematics, Princeton University, 2025
• The Sigma Xi Book Award for Outstanding Research, Princeton Math Department, May 2025


• The Peter A. Greenberg '77 Prize, Princeton Math Department, May 2024