"My thesis was in algebra, specifically non-commutative rings. I’ve never been particularly interested in the applications of mathematics. I very much like the abstractness and the richness of the theory of pure mathematics. To some extent, algebra found me. When I was taking the first three semesters of algebra at Emory I got along well with the professor teaching the courses. I spent a lot of time in office hours and then ended up doing a reading course with him. Really, what happened was that I wanted to work with my Ph.D. advisor and it turned out the kind of math that he did was interesting, too."