Laura DeMarco
Hollis Professor of Mathematicks and Natural Philosophy

Department of Mathematics
Harvard University
1 Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

Email: demarco at math dot harvard dot edu

Office: Science Center 337

Primary research interests:
Dynamical systems, arithmetic geometry, and complex analysis
CV (short version), updated May 2026.

I am currently the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Mathematics.
Information about our courses and the math concentration can be found here.
Please contact Cindy Jimenez with general questions, or you can email me directly.
Office hours: Mondays 3-6pm or by appointment

Algebraic Dynamics Seminar at Harvard

All events and seminars in the Harvard math department

I am the Managing Editor of the Journal of the American Mathematical Society.
Please contact the editorial office with questions or concerns about the journal.
Submission information can be found here.

Upcoming events and speaking engagements

Boston College Department of Mathematics, Distinguished Lecture Series
Boston, MA, October 13-15, 2026

Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM)
Chicago, IL, January 12-15, 2027

Stellenbosch Number Theory Conference
Stellenbosch, South Africa, January 18-22, 2027

Colloquium, University of Utah Department of Mathematics
Salt Lake City, UT, February 2027

Complex, Algebraic, and Arithmetic Dynamics
19th Seasonal Institute of the Mathematical Society of Japan
Tokyo, Japan, March 2027

Publications and Preprints

Books and reports

Consensus Study for the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.
Data and Computing in K-12 Education: Foundational Competencies.
National Academies Press, 2026. 339 pages

Algebraic, Complex, and Arithmetic Dynamics
Proceedings from Simons Symposia 2019-2024. Edited by L. DeMarco, M. Jonsson.
Springer, 2026. 546 pages



Research articles

Bounded geometry for PCF-special subvarieties, with N. M. Mavraki and H. Ye.
Forum Math. Pi 14 (2026), 22pp. Available from the publisher

The geometry of preperiodic points in families of maps on P^N, with N. M. Mavraki.
Enseign. Math. 72 (2026), 305-335. Available from the publisher

The (algebraic) geometry of preperiodic points in P^N, in three lectures.
Lecture notes from CIRM France, January 2025. pdf

Multiplier spectrum of maps on P^1: theorems of Ji-Xie and Ji-Xie-Zhang, with N. M. Mavraki.
Notes, revised April 2024, 12 pages. pdf

Geometry of PCF parameters in spaces of quadratic polynomials, with N. M. Mavraki.
Alg. Number Th. 19 (2025), 2163-2183. arxiv

Elliptic surfaces and intersections of adelic R-divisors, with N. M. Mavraki.
J. Eur. Math. Soc. 26 (2024), 3639-3684. arxiv

Dynamics on P^1: preperiodic points and pairwise stability, with N. M. Mavraki.
Compositio Math., 160 (2024), no. 2, 356-387. arxiv

Variation of canonical height for Fatou points on P^1, with N. M. Mavraki.
J. Reine Angew. Math. (Crelle), 795 (2023), 183–220. arxiv



Common preperiodic points for quadratic polynomials, with H. Krieger and H. Ye.
Journal of Modern Dynamics, 18 (2022), 363-413. arxiv

Uniform Manin-Mumford for a family of genus 2 curves, with H. Krieger and H. Ye.
Annals of Math., 191 (2020), 949-1001. arxiv

Variation of canonical height and equidistribution, with N. M. Mavraki.
American J. Math., 142 (2020), 443-473. arxiv

On the postcritical set of a rational map, with S. Koch and C. T. McMullen.
Math. Annalen, 377 (2020), 1-18. pdf

Critical orbits and arithmetic equidistribution.
Proceedings of the ICM 2018, Vol III, 1867-1886. pdf

Rationality of dynamical canonical height, with D. Ghioca.
Ergodic Theory Dynam. Systems, 9 (2019), 2507-2540. arxiv

Bounded height in families of dynamical systems,
with D. Ghioca, H. Krieger, K. D. Nguyen, T. J. Tucker, and H. Ye.
Int. Math. Res. Notices, 8 (2019), 2453-2482. arxiv

Discontinuity of a degenerating escape rate, with Y. Okuyama.
Conform. Geom. Dyn. 22 (2018), 33-44. arxiv

KAWA Lecture Notes: Dynamical moduli spaces and elliptic curves.
Ann. Fac. Sci. Toulouse Math. 27 (2018), 389-420. arxiv



The classification of polynomial basins of infinity, with K. Pilgrim.
Ann. Sci. Ecole Norm. Sup. 50 (2017), 799-877. pdf

Convex shapes and harmonic caps, with K. Lindsey.
Arnold Math. J., 3 (2017), 97-117. Special volume for 25th anniversary of IMS. arxiv

Bifurcations, intersections, and heights.
Algebra & Number Theory, 10 (2016), 1031-1056. arxiv

Degenerations of complex dynamical systems II: Analytic and algebraic stability,
with X. Faber and an Appendix by J. Kiwi.
Math. Ann., 365 (2016), 1669-1699. arxiv

Torsion points and the Lattes family, with X. Wang and H. Ye.
American J. of Math., 138 (2016), no. 3, 697-732. arxiv

Bifurcation measures and quadratic rational maps, with X. Wang and H. Ye.
Proc. London Math. Soc., 111 (2015), no. 1, 149-180. arxiv

Degenerations of complex dynamical systems, with X. Faber.
Forum of Mathematics, Sigma. 2 (2014), e6, 36 pages. Available from the publisher

Special curves and postcritically-finite polynomials, with M. Baker.
Forum of Mathematics, Pi. 1 (2013), e3, 35 pages. Available from the publisher

The geometry of the critically-periodic curves in the space of cubic polynomials, with A. Schiff.
Experimental Math. 22 (2013), no. 1, 99-111. pdf

Combinatorics and topology of the shift locus.
Conformal Dynamics and Hyperbolic Geometry, AMS Contemporary Mathematics.
Volume in honor of Linda Keen's birthday. 573 (2012) 35-48. arxiv

The conformal geometry of billiards.
Bulletin of the AMS. 48 (2011), no. 1, 33-52. pdf

Critical heights on the moduli space of polynomials, with K. Pilgrim.
Advances in Mathematics. 226 (2011) 350-372. arxiv

Preperiodic points and unlikely intersections, with M. Baker.
Duke Math. Journal. 159 (2011), no. 1, 1-29. arxiv

Polynomial basins of infinity, with K. Pilgrim.
Geom. Funct. Anal. 21 (2011), no. 4, 920-950. arxiv

Hausdorffization and polynomial twists, with K. Pilgrim.
Discrete Contin. Dyn. Sys., Ser. A. 29 (2011), no. 4, 1405-1417.
Special issue, Trends and developments in dynamical systems, Part III. pdf



Enumerating the basins of infinity for cubic polynomials, with A. Schiff.
J. Difference Equ. Appl. 16 (2010) 451-461.
Special issue dedicated to Robert L. Devaney. arxiv

Axiom A polynomial skew products of C^2 and their postcritical sets, with S. Lynch Hruska.
Ergodic Theory Dynam. Systems. 28 (2008) 1729-1748. arxiv, Erratum

Trees and the dynamics of polynomials, with C. T. McMullen.
Ann. Sci. Ecole Norm. Sup. 41 (2008) 337-383. arxiv

Finiteness for degenerate polynomials.
Holomorphic Dynamics and Renormalization: A Volume in Honour of J. Milnor's 75th birthday.
Fields Institute Communications, AMS, 53 (2008) 89-104. arxiv

Transfinite diameter and the resultant, with R. Rumely.
J. Reine Angew. Math. (Crelle). 611 (2007) 145-161. arxiv

The boundary of the moduli space of quadratic rational maps.
Journal of the AMS. 20 (2007) 321-355. arxiv

Iteration at the boundary of the space of rational maps.
Duke Math. Journal. 130 (2005) 169-197. arxiv

Dimension of pluriharmonic measure and polynomial endomorphisms of C^n, with Ilia Binder.
International Math. Research Notices. 11 (2003) 613-625. pdf.

Dynamics of rational maps: Lyapunov exponents, bifurcations, and metrics on the sphere.
Mathematische Annalen. 326 (2003) 43-73. pdf

Dynamics of rational maps: a positive current on the bifurcation locus.
Math. Research Letters. 8 (2001) 57-66. pdf

Stability of H, D, and N atoms in solid ammonia above 100K, with A. Brill and D. Crabb.
J. Chem. Phys., 108 (1998) 1423-1428.

Holomorphic families of rational maps: dynamics, geometry, and potential theory
Ph.D. thesis, Harvard University, 2002. pdf