Mathematical Sciences

Faculty

Luca Capogna

Luca Capogna

Professor and Department Head
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall
Phone: +1-508-831-5241
My research is in the area of Partial Differential Equations. I am also interested in Calculus of Variations and in analytic aspects of Quasiconformal Mappings, Sub-Riemannian Geometry, Minimal Surfaces and Mean Curvature Flow. Partial differential equations, and more in general Mathematics, provide a powerful language to express our understanding of complex phenomena in nature and in other contexts. The equilibrium and tension between pure mathematics and the applications that have motivated it is a source of never ending discovery and fascination for me. ... View Profile
Jon P. Abraham

Jon P. Abraham

Professor of Practice
Coordinator, Program in Actuarial Mathematics
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 002B
Phone: +1-508-831-6123
Teaching has evolved into a second career for me. After working for over 25 years as an actuary, I came to WPI a few years back, and have loved every minute of it! I provide insight to my students about working as an actuary, as well as convey a real world sense of urgency and connection to what we are doing in the classroom. I particularly enjoy the academic cycle – getting a fresh start every fall term, and seeing a new batch of enthusiastic first year students arriving on campus. ... View Profile
Andrea N. Arnold

Andrea N. Arnold

Assistant Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 104A
Phone: 508-831-6825
Please see my personal website for more information! View Profile
Marcel Y. Blais

Marcel Y. Blais

Associate Teaching Professor
Associate Department Head
Mathematical Sciences
Office: 109B Stratton Hall
Phone: +1-508-831-5677
I teach many graduate courses in our Financial Mathematics Professional Master’s Program. I particularly love engaging graduate students in areas of financial mathematics; the material is exciting, cutting edge, and fun to apply and relate to current events and states of financial markets. At the undergraduate level, I teach upper-level optimization electives, as well as calculus courses. I enjoy teaching at this level, showing undergraduate students why the mathematics we study is important and relevant. Currently, I am involved in the study of liquidity modeling in mathematical finance. ... View Profile

Jane Elizabeth Bouchard

Instructor's Associate
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 305A
Phone: +1-508-831-6636
Peter R. Christopher

Peter R. Christopher

Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 305B
Phone: +1-508-831-5269, +1-508-831-5241
I have been at WPI for a long time. It’s been exciting to participate in the evolution of the Institute and to adapt to changes along the way. As a mathematician, my focus is graph theory, a relatively new area of mathematics that was not offered when I was a student. Today, graph theory enjoys a lot of attention with over a dozen journals devoted to it and with applications to many fields within and outside of mathematics. In particular, computer scientists and electrical engineers make good use of graph theory and have contributed to its growth. ... View Profile

Vladimir Druskin

Mathematical Sciences
Fatemeh Emdad

Fatemeh Emdad

Associate Teaching Professor
Data Science
Office: Atwater Kent 129
Phone: +1-508-831-5303
Professor Fatemeh Emdad completed her Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics with a concentration in Applied Mathematics at Colorado State University. She is the recipient of the top-ranked student academic award from the President of Shiraz University. She is the author of the book High Dimensional Data Analysis and more than 20 journal and conference articles. She completed her postdoctoral degree with the University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriners Hospital for Children Burn Unit when she was the NIH postdoctoral scientist fellow (under Ruth L. ... View Profile
Joseph D. Fehribach

Joseph D. Fehribach

Associate Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 201C
Phone: +1-508-831-5069
Professor Fehribach has taught and led mathematical research efforts at WPI since 1992. If you are interested in his work, please contact him directly. His research works with Kirchhoff graphs, representing that the null and row spaces of a matrix are orthogonal complements. When the matrix is the stoichiometric matrix for a chemical reaction network, the Kirchhoff graph is effectively a circuit diagram for that reaction network. View Profile
John A. Goulet

John A. Goulet

Teaching Professor
Coordinator, Master of Mathematics for Educators program
Director of WPI annual Math Meet
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 201A
Phone: +1-508-831-5036
Teaching at WPI is a great opportunity to help incoming freshmen make the transition from high school to college as well as gain the pleasure and satisfaction that higher education can bring. Further, the WPI Plan is a unique approach to education, and John brings both enthusiasm and a special perspective as one of its first graduates. He appreciates the great people the students are and assists them into making mathematics a successful part of their start. ... View Profile
Arthur C. Heinricher

Arthur C. Heinricher

Dean of Undergraduate Studies
Professor
Undergraduate Studies
Office: Boynton Hall, 1st Fl
Phone: +1-508-831-5397
Arthur Heinricher is the Dean of Undergraduate Studies and a Professor of Mathematical Sciences. As dean, he is responsible for ensuring the quality and effectiveness of all aspects of the undergraduate experience at WPI, providing leadership and working with the faculty to implement new undergraduate curricular and structural changes. Together with the Dean of Students, he works to ensure an appropriate balance and synergy between academics and student life. ... View Profile
Mayer Humi

Mayer Humi

Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 303
Phone: +1-508-831-5213, +1-508-304-1244, +1-508-831-5241, +1-781-377-5955
I am a mathematical physicist working on the development and application of mathematical methods to atmospheric research and satellites orbits. As part of this research, I am also developing new methods for the use of symmetry principles to solve differential equations. I have taught a broad spectrum of applied math courses on the undergraduate and graduate levels. View Profile
Michael Richard Johnson

Michael Richard Johnson

Assistant Teaching Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 201B
Phone: +1-508-831-5134
At WPI I have taught a variety of courses ranging from Calculus, Statistics, and Probability at the undergraduate and graduate level.  With help from the ATC (Academic Technology Center) I use course capturing to record my lectures and keep an eye on advances in technology to aid student learning. I completed my PhD in Economics at Clark University in October 2012. My dissertation explored theoretical models for free and open source software. ... View Profile
Padraig O Cathain

Padraig O Cathain

Assistant Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 202B
Phone: 508-831-5154
My research interests are in combinatorics, algebra and their applications to real world problems. I am particularly interested in symmetric designs, Hadamard matrices and difference sets. I have applied these methods to problems in compressed sensing and communications engineering. In teaching, I hope to communicate to students the rigor and beauty of pure mathematics as well as its applicability to real world problems. View Profile
Christopher J. Larsen

Christopher J. Larsen

Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 002C
Phone: +1-508-831-6124
Many interesting physical phenomena are difficult to pin down mathematically, which is a necessary first step in order to make predictions confidently. This is particularly true in the study of the evolution of defects in materials; for example, predicting the growth and paths of cracks. My research is in applied analysis, and my goals are to formulate mathematically- and physically-reasonable models for these problems, as well as understand the properties of solutions (even proving their existence itself is often a serious problem). ... View Profile
Roger Y Lui

Roger Y Lui

Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 105B
Phone: +1-508-831-5330, +1-508-831-5241
I am a mathematical biologist working in areas from molecules to population. I primarily teach undergraduate-level differential equations and applied mathematics classes. I also advise MQP in the area of mathematical biology. View Profile
Konstantin Lurie

Konstantin Lurie

Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 010
Phone: +1-508-831-5293, +1-508-831-5241
Konstantin's research has, since the early '60s, been focused on optimal control of distributed systems, specifically, on optimal material design. The journal papers and books he published since laid a solid foundation of this discipline, as we know it today. The need for optimal design comes from everyday life and from various technological requirements that put forth numerous challenges demanding better quality, less weight, lower cost, faster operation, etc. ... View Profile
William J. Martin

William J. Martin

Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 302A
Phone: +1-508-831-6764
Bill Martin's goal is to find mathematical research projects that lie between beautiful and powerful mathematical theory, on the one hand, and pressing technological applications, on the other. This effort requires one to keep abreast of both mathematical developments and applications in computer science and engineering. Professor Martin's mathematical research is in the area of algebraic combinatorics, where tools from linear and abstract algebra are applied to problems in discrete math. ... View Profile
Carolyn D. Mayer

Carolyn D. Mayer

Post-Doctoral Scholar
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Salisbury Labs 405B
Umberto Mosco

Umberto Mosco

Harold J Gay Chaired Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 307
Phone: +1-508-831-5074
Being part of WPI is an enriching professional experience. Our students are motivated and work hard. I adjust my teaching to their background. By focusing on basics, and keeping the matter simple, students respond with accrued concentration and interest. For many, learning develops into investigation, and eventually, into research via an independent study, a project, a dissertation, and resulting, possibly, with a publication. My research utilizes applied analysis, focusing on the study of partial differential equations with singularities. ... View Profile
Balgobin Nandram

Balgobin Nandram

Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 103
Phone: +1-508-831-5539, +1-508-831-5241
Sarah D Olson

Sarah D Olson

Associate Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 302
Phone: +1-508-831-4940
At WPI, I enjoy teaching all courses fundamental to applied mathematics, scientific computing, and modeling. I am looking forward to mentoring students interested in working on areas in Mathematical Biology, Computational Biofluids, and Scientific Computing. I specialize in Mathematical Biology, understanding emergent properties of complex systems. The goals of these models are to understand the underlying biological processes and make predictions. Please visit my website to learn more about recent research projects. View Profile
Randy Clinton Paffenroth

Randy Clinton Paffenroth

Associate Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: 100 Institute RD
Phone: +1-508-831-6562
My research focuses on compressed sensing, machine learning, signal processing, and the interaction between mathematics, computer science and software engineering. My interests range from theoretical results to algorithms for tackling practical applied problems, and I enjoy problems most when mathematical results lead to efficient software implementations for big data. I am looking forward to working with students at all levels and backgrounds who share an interest in mathematics, software, or data. ... View Profile
Buddika Peiris

Buddika Peiris

Assistant Teaching Professor
Coordinator of Applied Statistics Master's Program
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall, 103
Phone: 508 831 5940
Teaching is an art. It is something you develop within yourself. It needs hard work, time, creativity and dedication. Giving clear and understandable lectures, facilitating group activities, and interacting with students are all important parts of my teaching. My objectives as a statistics educator are: (1) to teach students about statistical tools and how to use them correctly, (2) to expose students to the structure of statistical analysis, and (3) to teach students how to communicate statistical results and concepts to a variety of audiences. ... View Profile

Barry John Posterro

Assistant Teaching Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: 100 Institute RD
Phone: 508-831-4847
My areas of concentration are teaching courses for Actuarial Mathematics, advising actuarial math students, and advising financial math students. Students with interests in investments (options, volatility trading, etc) are encouraged to approach me with ideas for MQPs or master’s projects. In addition, I have IQP opportunities for students interested in local history. View Profile
Dina J. Rassias

Dina J. Rassias

Instructor's Associate
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 305A
Phone: +1-508-831-6636, +1-508-831-5730
Marcus Sarkis-Martins

Marcus Sarkis-Martins

Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 206
Phone: +1-508-831-5287
Brigitte Servatius

Brigitte Servatius

Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 305C
Phone: +1-508-831-5361, +1-508-831-5241
I pose this question: if I dip a wire cage of a cube into soap bubbles, can I get a hexagon? These are questions I love posing to my students. Likewise, I appreciate all questions my students ask me, regardless of how ridiculous they may seem. Every question is worth asking and investigating, and WPI encourages this innovative way of thinking. View Profile
Stephan Sturm

Stephan Sturm

Associate Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: 100 Institute RD
Phone: 508-831-5921
I am an applied mathematician specializing in the field of financial mathematics and engineering. Currently, I am most interested in problems involving modeling with stochastic volatility and the implied volatility surface. Another topic of my research interests lies in delegated portfolio optimization and the role played by incentive schemes paid to fund managers. ... View Profile
Dalin Tang

Dalin Tang

Professor of Mathematics and Biomedical Engineering
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 202E
Phone: +1-508-831-5332
I have been teaching and conducting research at WPI since 1988. Teaching is a lot of fun since it involves interactions with students, and we can pass our knowledge and experiences to students for their better future. I have been conducting research for cardiovascular modeling in the past 30 years and has made various contributions, especially in using image-based modeling for vulnerable plaque progression and rupture investigations. I collaborate with faculty from many universities, including Harvard, MIT, University of Washington (Seattle), Washington University (St. ... View Profile
Burt S. Tilley

Burt S. Tilley

Associate Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: 100 Institute RD
Phone: +1-508-831-6664
My main research area of interest is mathematical modeling of problems in scientific and engineering applications. Recent examples include heat transfer properties in patterned liquid-cooled electronics, heat transfer in geothermal energy harnessing applications, and inter-facial pattern formation on thin fluid films and sheets. The mathematical content of these problems focus on, but are not limited to, continuum mechanics, free-boundary problems, nonlinear partial differential equations, and nonlinear differential equations. ... View Profile
Bogdan M. Vernescu

Bogdan M. Vernescu

Vice Provost for Research
Professor
Vice Provost For Research
Office: Boynton Hall
Phone: +1-508-831-6411
Bogdan Vernescu was appointed to the position of vice provost for research in 2016, with the goal of enhancing faculty research efforts and increasing support for research at WPI from government agencies, corporations, and foundations. His responsibilities include supervising the operation and non-financial support of WPI’s research enterprise, including oversight of university-wide research institutes and centers, and the offices that administer research sponsorship and intellectual property and innovation. ... View Profile
Darko Volkov

Darko Volkov

Associate Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 104B
Phone: +1-508-831-6125
Professor Volkov's research in applied mathematics relies on Partial Differential Equations theory, Integral Equations theory, and asymptotic and numerical methods. He is interested in abstract existence and uniqueness questions as well as inverse problems and their numerical solutions. Applications of his research include electromagnetic theory, wave propagation, and seismology. He has been teaching all levels of math classes, from Calculus to Graduate Analysis. ... View Profile
Homer F. Walker

Homer F. Walker

Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 009A
Phone: +1-508-831-6113, +1-508-831-5241
Homer Walker's research and teaching interests are generally in computational and applied mathematics. In recent years, his research has been mainly concerned with developing and analyzing numerical algorithms for solving systems of linear and nonlinear equations, especially the very large systems that arise in modeling complex physical phenomena such as fluid flow. Previous research interests include numerical methods for unconstrained optimization, differential equations, and statistical estimation. ... View Profile
Gu Wang

Gu Wang

Assistant Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: 100 Institute RD
Phone: +1-508-831-6137
My research is in the field of Mathematical Finance, which aims at building probabilistic models that provide insights into the behavior of financial market participants, and developing the underlying mathematical theories. My work focuses on the optimal investment and consumption policies in various market settings. I received my Ph.D. in Mathematics from Boston University in 2013, and spend the next two years in the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor as a Postdoctoral Assistant Professor, before joining WPI as a tenure track Assistant Professor. ... View Profile
Suzanne L. Weekes

Suzanne L. Weekes

Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 202D
Phone: +1-508-831-5267
Zheyang Wu

Zheyang Wu

Associate Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: 100 Institute RD
Phone: +1-508-831-5031
Professor Wu's research interest lies in applying the power of statistical science to promote biomedical researches. In statistical genetics, he is developing novel statistical theory and methodology to analyze genome-wide association (GWA) data and deep (re)sequencing data to hunt new genetic factors for complex human diseases. In epigenetics, he is studying gene expression regulation mechanisms through chromatin interaction, and RNA silencing pathways in the developmental stages of germ-line cells. ... View Profile
Min Wu

Min Wu

Assistant Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall, 105C
Phone: 508-831-6377
My research is in mathematical biology. My work is to understand how animals shape themselves. From ants to elephants, animals come in all shapes and size, and it is interesting and important to know how growth and forces are patterned and how they interplay in forming these shapes. To answer these questions, I develop mathematical and computational models of growth and explore how to infer the forces at play in living tissue based on imaging data. At WPI, I like to integrate my research interest and experience with the teaching practice. View Profile

Vadim V. Yakovlev

Associate Research Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 104C
Phone: +1-508-831-5495
My professional interests include electromagnetic and multiphysics modeling, scientific computations, and optimization in various interdisciplinary areas involving high frequency electromagnetics. I am particularly interested in applications of microwave power engineering as well as microwave imaging (i.e., non-destructive evaluation and testing of materials from the characteristics of the electromagnetic field). I run the Industrial Microwave Modeling Group (IMMG), which I established in 1999 as a division of WPI’s Center for Industrial Mathematics and Statistics (CIMS). ... View Profile
Zhongqiang Zhang

Zhongqiang Zhang

Assistant Professor
Visiting Scientist at Division of Applied Mathematics, Brown University
Mathematical Sciences
Office: 100 Institute RD
Phone: +1-508-831-4936
I enjoy teaching and I love interactions with students. In teaching, I teach students how I think and learn their views of my research fields. My current interest is to investigate numerically the propagation of noise using models of stochastic differential equations arising in various applications, especially in  fluid dynamics, biology, and finance. The research is two fold: one is to construct efficient and stable numerical methods to solve stochastic differential equations; the other is to evaluate the constructed and existing methods through theoretical analysis. View Profile
Jian Zou

Jian Zou

Associate Professor
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 102
Professor Zou's research focuses on financial time series and spatial statistics with applications to epidemiology, public health and climate change. His most recent research on statistical theory and methodology addressed a wide range of challenges including high dimensionality, complex dependencies, and space and time variations. His research in high-frequency financial data tackled problems with high dimensionality, which is currently a hot topic in statistics. ... View Profile

Post-Doctoral Scholars

Lucia Carichino

Lucia Carichino

Post-Doctoral Scholar
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Salisbury Labs 405A
Phone: 508-831-6348
The focus of my research is on mathematical and computational models of multiscale biological systems including fluid-structure interaction. I am excited by the potential of using mathematical models that describe the physical phenomena governing biological systems in synergy with experimental data to elucidate the mechanisms behind a biological process, ultimately aiding the future development of medicine. I enjoy teaching, I strive to establish a classroom environment where the students are challenged to ask questions and share ideas without the concern of making mistakes. View Profile
Simone Cassani

Simone Cassani

Post-Doctoral Scholar
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Salisbury Labs 405B
Phone: 508-831-6856
I work in the field of applied mathematics studying biological applications. At WPI I am developing an hybrid cellular automaton model for the growth of tissue engineered articular cartilage. My PhD work focused on the study of ocular blood circulation and aqueous humor flow in relation to ocular diseases, with a particular interest in glaucoma, a degenerative ocular disease which is the second leading cause of blindness all over the world. I previously received my BS and MS in mathematical engineering at Politecnico di Milano; both my BS and MS thesis focused on turbulence. View Profile
Kelum Gajamannage

Kelum Gajamannage

Post-Doctoral Scholar
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Salisbury Labs 405D
Phone: 508-831-6366
F. Patricia Medina

F. Patricia Medina

Post-Doctoral Scholar
Mathematical Sciences
Office: 100 Institute RD
Phone: 508-831-6348
My research is in applied mathematics with focus on the mathematical and computational treatment of models given by systems of partial differential equations with nonlinearities. In particular, methane hydrate models and coal-bed methane models. I have also done research in non-parametric statistics and in Banach space theory (Orlicz spaces). My broad background lets me appreciate the beauty of mathematical proofs and the excitement of applications. WPI offers a very unique experience to instructors and students. View Profile
Hussein Nasralah

Hussein Nasralah

Post-Doctoral Scholar
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Salisbury Labs 405F
Phone: 508-831-4898
Yevgeniy M Ptukhin

Yevgeniy M Ptukhin

Post-Doctoral Scholar
Mathematical Sciences
Office: 100 Institute RD
Xiaodan Zhou

Xiaodan Zhou

Post-Doctoral Scholar
Mathematical Sciences
Office: 100 Institute RD
Phone: 508-831-6844

Adjunct Teaching Professors

Tatiana Doytchinova

Senior Instructor/Lecturer
Mathematical Sciences
Office: Stratton Hall 105C
Phone: 508-831-2065

William C. Sanguinet

Adjunct Instructor/Lecturer
Mathematical Sciences
Office: 100 Institute RD
Herman Servatius

Herman Servatius

Adjunct Professor
Igsd Office
Office: Stratton Hall 305C
Phone: +1-508-831-5361
I pose this question: if I dip a wire cage of a cube into soap bubbles, can I get a hexagon? These are questions I love posing to my students. Likewise, I appreciate all questions my students ask me, regardless of how ridiculous they may seem. Every question is worth asking and investigating, and WPI encourages this innovative way of thinking. View Profile

Staff

Klelia Loloci-Silvestri

Klelia Loloci-Silvestri

Administrative Assistant VI
Mathematical Sciences
Phone: 508-831-5241

Klelia supports the financial aspects of the WPI Mathematical Sciences Department. In this role, she provides administrative assistance to our professors, students and staff members by assisting in the daily needs of the departments general administrative activities.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone

Computer Operations Manager
Mathematical Sciences
Phone: 508-831-5403

Mike Malone works with Math Department Faculty, Staff, and Graduate students to assure that their computational needs are met.  Whether it’s the purchase and setup of a new desktop, laptop, mobile device, or printer, or the troubleshooting of an existing device, Mike works with each person to make sure that they are able to use their devices to complete their mission, whether it’s learning, teaching, or research.

Rhonda Podell

Rhonda Podell

Operations Manager
Mathematical Sciences
Phone: 508-831-5316

Rhonda Podell joined WPI and the Department of Mathematical Sciences in 2008. She provides administrative and operational support to the department head, associate department head, faculty and students in the department and enjoys interfacing with other offices on campus to help the math department fulfill its mission.

As Operations Manager, Rhonda supports the day-to-day operations of the Mathematical Sciences Department while assisting the Department Head and Associate Department Head in the overall operations of the department. She supervisors the staff and assists in managing academic course scheduling, Teacher Assistants, Research Assistants, Peer Learning Assistants along with the operations of the math tutoring center. Rhonda coordinates K-12 outreach activities such as the Annual WPI Mathematics Meet for high school students and various mathematics summer camps as well as department workshops. She assists the Center for Industrial Mathematics and Statistics (CIMS) and provides crucial support for the center’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program and for workshops such as the Mathematical Problems in Industry, Applied and Industrial Mathematics for Secondary Teaching (MIST) and she maintains the center’s financial accounts. 
She holds a BS in Psychology from Worcester State University and is pursuing a Master’s Degree at Southern New Hampshire University in Industrial & Organizational Psychology.

Associated Faculty

First Name Last Name Title Email Phone Extension Office Location
Paul Davis Professor Emeritus   5241 Stratton Hall
William Farr Professor Emeritus   5241 Stratton Hall
William Hardell Professor Emeritus   5241 Stratton Hall
JJ Malone Professor Emeritus, Adjunct Teaching Professor jjmalone@wpi.edu 5599 SL405E
Bruce McQuarrie Professor Emeritus   5241 Stratton Hall
Joseph Petruccelli Professor Emeritus   5241 Stratton Hall
Domokos Vermes Professor Emeritus   5241 Stratton Hall