His research in the study of shapes, ranging from particle collisions and cartography to origami and juggling, has earned him grants from the National Science Foundation and visiting positions at the University of California at Berkeley, Ohio State University, the University of Nice, and the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute. He received the Henry Alder Award in 2007, given by the Mathematical Association of America to honor faculty whose teaching has been extraordinarily successful. He recently created a 36-lecture DVD course on the shape of nature, published by The Great Courses.