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Gladys Brown West (née Gladys Mae Brown; October 27, 1930 – January 17, 2026) was an African American mathematician. She was known for her contributions to mathematical modeling of the shape of the Earth, and her work on the development of satellite geodesy models, which were later incorporated into the Global Positioning System (GPS).[1]

West was inducted into the United States Air Force Hall of Fame in 2018. She was awarded the Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for the development of satellite geodesy models.

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Gladys Mae Brown was born in Sutherland, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County, a rural county south of Richmond, on October 27, 1930. Her family was an African American farming family in a community of sharecroppers. She was the second of four children.[7] She spent much of her childhood working on her family's small farm.[8][9] As well as working on the farm, her mother worked in a tobacco factory and her father worked for the railroad.[5][10] West saw education as her way to a different life.[11]

At West's high school, the top two students from each graduating class received full scholarships to Virginia State College (Virginia State University, VSU), a historically black public university.[8] West graduated as valedictorian in 1948, and received the scholarship.[5][11] At VSU, she chose to study mathematics, a subject that was mostly studied by men.[8] She also joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.[1] West graduated in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics,[5] and then taught mathematics and science for two years in Waverly, Virginia.[5] West returned to VSU to complete a Master of Mathematics degree, graduating in 1955.[11][5] Afterwards, she began another teaching position in Martinsville, Virginia.