Math is the language of love

Mathematics isn’t often associated with romance, but it’s what started the love story of Chloe Glaeser and Stephen Glaeser.

The UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School faculty members met on the first day of a math camp at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where they were pursuing doctoral degrees.

She was earning her PhD in operations and information management, and he was earning his in accounting. They took similar classes during their first year and saw each other almost every day on campus.

The more time they spent together, the closer they became.

“When Chloe’s adviser found out we met at math camp, he said without a hint of irony or comedy, ‘Math is truly the language of love,’” Stephen Glaeser said.

The couple married during the third year of their doctoral programs and had wedding photos taken on Wharton’s campus.

Their connection to Carolina dates to January 2016, the month after their wedding. Instead of taking a honeymoon right away, they waited until the summer. He attended the Tax Doctoral Consortium at UNC Kenan-Flagler, which is designed for doctoral students conducting tax research.

Then it was time to look for academic jobs. They described finding two tenure-track professor positions as yet another “matchmaking” process where they both hoped to find the best fit.

“UNC was our top choice because of their great accounting and operations departments,” Stephen Glaeser said. “UNC Kenan-Flagler really was the perfect fit for us.”

They arrived at Carolina in 2018. Today Chloe Glaeser is an assistant professor of operations, and Stephen Glaeser is an associate professor of accounting and associate dean of the PhD Program.

The Glaesers celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary in December 2025. They love spending time with their two children, Ella and Logan.

When they’re working on campus, the two eat lunch together anytime they can to spend quality time with each other away from home.

“It’s nice to do a sneak-away lunch even if it’s just for a few minutes. If we bring lunch, we’ll meet up or meet in a cafe and buy lunch together. Sometimes I go to Stephen’s office or, if it’s nice outside, we’ll eat together out there,” Chloe Glaeser said. “With kids and everything, life can get busy so it’s nice to have that uninterrupted time where we can enjoy food and talk to each other.”

By Caroline Daly, University Communications and Marketing.