Research

Our department culture encourages, emphasizes, and rewards high-quality research, with the following four major research groups in the department active in many sub-disciplines. All groups actively involve graduate student research.

Mathematical Biology / Applied Mathematics

The Mathematical Biology Group specializes in data-driven, computational, multi-disciplinary research using mathematical tools to investigate current questions in living systems. The group maintains active collaborations in biology, ecology, engineering, and natural resources and students have numerous opportunities to apply mathematics in the context of important biological, environmental and ecological challenges. Graduates receive job offers from industry and compete successfully for positions at national labs and post-secondary research and education.

• Applied and Industrial Mathematics
• Differential Equations
• Mathematical Biology

Research Faculty: Erin Beckman, Luis Gordillo, Brynja Kohler, John Lawson, Nghiem Nguyen, Jim Powell, Zilong Song, Zhi Qiang Wang

Research Summary Videos

 

Pure Mathematics

Our pure mathematics faculty are active in areas that include algebraic and differential geometry, analysis, mathematical physics, algebraic and quantum topology, representation theory, and discrete mathematics. We actively collaborate with faculty in physics, computer science, and other disciplines.

• Algebraic Geometry
• Analysis and Differential Equations
• Differential Geometry
• Discrete Mathematics
• Lie Theory and Representation Theory
• Mathematical Physics
• Topology

Research Faculty: David Brown, Peter Crooks, Aysel Erey, Mark Fels, Nathan Geer, Andreas Malmendier, Nghiem Nguyen, Zhaohu Nie, Brent Thomas, Zhi Qiang Wang, Matthew Young

Research Summary Videos

Statistics and Data Science

Statistics is the science that solves data problems. Statistics faculty actively develop and apply methods to solve problems in high dimensional data. This includes research in data science, computational statistics, data visualization, geostatistics, machine learning, time series, and other fields of statistics. Faculty members frequently collaborate with departments across campus, including (but not limited to) engineering, ecology, agriculture, nutrition, finance, and education.

• Big Data, Analytics, and High-Dimensional Data Analysis
• Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Statistical Genetics
• Computational Statistics and Visualization
• Experimental Design

Research Faculty: Brennan Bean, Daniel Coster, Richard Cutler, John Lawson, Lucy Lu, Kevin Moon, Kady Schneiter, John Stevens, Yan Sun, Juergen Symanzik, Alan Wisler

Research Summary Videos

Mathematics and Statistics Education

Representing a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives related to mathematics education, our mathematics and statistics education faculty are part of an energetic community of learners, teachers, and researchers devoted to improving the teaching and learning of mathematics and statistics across all grade levels. With expertise in multiple core branches of the mathematical sciences, assessment, technological innovations, project-based learning, curriculum development and teacher development, our faculty are uniquely positioned to contribute to mathematics and statistics education research. Our active collaborations with public school teachers, and university faculty across multiple disciplines and our ability to offer secondary teacher preparation programs and professional development across our statewide campuses facilitates a powerful environment of collaboration, collegiality, and continued professional development.

Mathematics Education and College Teaching

Research Faculty: David Brown, Brynja Kohler, Sindura Kularajan, Jessi Lajos, Hannah Lewis, Kady Schneiter, Brent Thomas

Research Summary Videos