My name is Andy Heeszel, and I am joining as a Arthur J. Krener Math Fellow. I previously graduated with my PhD in Statistics from Ohio State in May 2026. My primary research interests are in applied probability and interacting particle systems. I have most recently been interested in stochastic epidemic models that do not have the attractiveness property and studying the outbreak size and speed of the outbreak. I also enjoy playing disc golf, watching football, running, and cooking.
Amanda received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in May 2026, where she was advised by Thomas Lam. She is interested in algebraic combinatorics and connections to knot theory and is currently working on problems related to invariants of plabic links and cluster algebras.
Owen Ekblad received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Michigan State University in June 2026. He studies mathematical quantum physics, with a particular focus on disordered systems. He was born and raised in Michigan in the Ann Arbor area, and enjoys spending time outdoors on hikes and long walks.
Colleen Robichaux is interested in algebraic combinatorics. Her work focuses on Schubert calculus and computational complexity. She received her Ph.D. in 2022 from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign under the supervision of Alexander Yong. After receiving her degree, she went on to University of California, Los Angeles where she was a Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow and NSF Postdoctoral Fellow.
by Sarah Brauner (University of Pennsylvania), Zajj Daugherty (Reed College), Sarah Mason (Wake Forest University), and Anne Schilling (University of California, Davis)
A common story in mathematics is the following: you have a large set of data, and want to find a strategic way to group that data together that makes it simpler to understand. The challenge here is to find a good way to group things that actually distills the information you have, and removes some of the “noise” of the full data set. For example, if your data set measures income by address in a city, it might make sense to group data points by neighborhood, but grouping neighborhoods this way might oversimplify the situation.
We rely on maps to make sense of the world around us. This isn’t just true for sailors navigating the oceans or families taking to the highways on vacations; it’s true for scientists who use maps of spacetime to study how empty space behaves around celestial objects such as black holes.
But for most maps, points of extreme irregularity pop up. Those points are called singularities.
What are singularities?
Singularities are geometric points where maps break down into distortions.
With deep sorrow we report the news of the passing of Mariel Vazquez on July 5, 2026, at the age of 55. Mariel was an esteemed applied mathematician and an internationally recognized member of the scientific community. She was well known for applying knot theory and topology to DNA and influencing the development of the field of DNA topology. Mariel leaves behind a distinguished academic career and a trail of devoted students and collaborators.
...Заколюченные параллели Преподали нам славный урок: Не делить с подонками хлеба, Перед властью не падать ниц, И не верить ни в чистое небо, Ни в улыбки сиятельных лиц....
With scoundrels, never break your bread, Before no power bow your head, And put no trust in shifting sand, Nor in the smiles of high and grand.
Mathematicians are challenging the idea that dark energy is responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe. In a new paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A, mathematicians from the University of California, Davis (Blake Temple, and prior graduate students C. Alexander (2022) and Z.
In just a few days I will hand the reins of the Department of Mathematics to the experienced hands of my colleague Joel Hass. Joel has served as department chair for 4 years (2010-2014). Through a number of leadership functions on campus he also acquired deep knowledge of all aspects of the university organization. I am very grateful he agreed to step back into the department chair role for 2026-27.
We are so excited to have revitalized a graduate chapter of the Association of Women in Mathematics in our Department this year! At my undergraduate institution, both undergraduate and graduate AWM chapters existed and frequently collaborated, but it was also valuable for each group to have its own space and events tailored to their experiences and needs. After talking with other graduate students at Davis, it quickly became clear that there was a strong interest in creating a similar community here.
Hello, UC Davis Math Department! I spent four years at UC Davis and completed my Ph.D. with Thomas Strohmer on applications of Compressive Sensing (CS) in 2009. Due to my previous time spent in industry, I was a non-traditional student. This gave me more focus because I basically knew what I was interested in. I had experience in electrical engineering and physics, so CS was a good fit for me. (Fun fact: the Math Dept used to be in Kerr Hall. In my second semester we all moved to the newly constructed MSB!)
As we approach the end of the Spring quarter, let's take a moment to look back over our accomplishments from the past year. During the 2024–2025 academic year, 11 GMAT students completed their Ph.D., and four students were awarded a Master's degree. So far during the current academic year, two GMAT students have received a Ph.D. and four have been awarded a Master's degree, with more expected at the end of the Spring quarter.
This is my first year as GGAM Chair and the first time I have the honor of writing this column. I took over from Javier Arsuaga last summer. Javier did an incredible job moving GGAM forward—many thanks to him—and I am grateful to be able to build on and continue that work.
The last time UC Davis saw me was when graduated in the summer of 2018 with a Ph.D. in Mathematics. My dissertation was in low-dimensional topology under Abby Thompson, focusing on Heegaard splittings of knot complements in the 3-sphere (with additional mentorship of Javier Arsuaga in the application of knot theory to molecular biology, particularly the folding of chromosomes in yeast). Only a few months prior to that, I had accepted an offer to join the faculty at University of the Pacific (UOP) in Stockton, CA, as a tenure-track assistant professor of applied mathematics.
