PhD in Mathematical Sciences

Doctor of Philosophy
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When you pursue a PhD in Mathematical Sciences at WPI, you join a vibrant community of faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, and students who are creating new knowledge and applying their expertise to solve to complex, real-world problems.

We accept about five new doctoral students in our PhD in mathematical sciences each year, all of whom are fully funded, and maintain a team of about 25 PhD candidates. You will be encouraged to collaborate with researchers in the department and across campus as you make important discoveries in an area of interest, from theoretical mathematics to applications in diverse areas like data science, electrical and computer engineering, bioinformatics and computational biology, and biomedical engineering.
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Graduate Admissions

Curriculum

Our flexible curriculum enables you to tailor programs of research and study to your professional goals. You will select courses in mathematical sciences and other disciplines and may choose to complete a PhD project with an external sponsor that allows you to connect your theoretical knowledge with relevant applications. We also offer professional development training to enhance your skills in teaching, grant writing, interviewing, and the job search process.

Students entering the program with a BS must successfully complete 90 semester hours of graduate work (students with an MS must complete 60 semester hours). At least 30 semester hours must be spent in dissertation research. Full-time residency at WPI is required for at least one continuous academic year of graduate work. 

  • General Courses (credited for students with MS), 30 credits
  • Research Preparation Phase, 24-30 credits
    • Research-related Courses or Independent Studies, 18-24 credits
    • Extra-departmental Studies, 6 credits
  • Dissertation Research, at least 30 credits

Faculty Profiles

Christopher Larsen
Christopher Larsen
Professor, Mathematical Sciences
The evolution of defects in materials present very interesting mathematical challenges.  My research focuses on improving mathematical models for material defects and advancing mathematical methods for studying them. Of particular interest are the growing lower-dimensional s [...]
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William Martin
William Martin
Professor, Mathematical Sciences
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 applica [...]
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Francesca Bernardi
Francesca Bernardi
Associate Professor, Mathematical Sciences
I am an applied mathematician working in the fields of small-scale fluid mechanics and microfluidics. My research includes both mathematical modeling and physical experiments. In particular, I am interested in particle and solute transport in small-scale systems, such as municipa [...]
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Sarah Olson
Sarah Olson
Professor, Mathematical Sciences
At WPI, I enjoy teaching all courses fundamental to applied mathematics, scientific computing, and modeling. I look forward to mentoring students interested in working on areas in Mathematical Biology, Computational Biofluids, and Scientific Computing. I specialize in Mathematica [...]
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Randy Paffenroth
Randy Paffenroth
Professor, Mathematical Sciences
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 probl [...]
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Brigitte Servatius
Brigitte Servatius
Professor, Mathematical Sciences
What is a better way of learning, soaking knowledge up like a sponge or like a sieve? A sponge may be saturated quickly, while an appropriate sieve retains the valuable and discards the superfluous.  The essence of teaching is to enable the student to recognize the jewels in [...]
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Min Wu
Min Wu
Associate Professor, Mathematical Sciences
My research has explored a wide range of biophysical processes using both continuum and discrete cell approaches, including tip growth, wound closure, morphogenesis in epithelial tissues of Drosophila pupae and C. elegans embryos, biofilm growth, fibrous encapsulation, tumor grow [...]
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Research

Research in our PhD in mathematical sciences program at WPI plays a vital role in solving complex problems facing our world. You will work alongside faculty and student researchers who are involved in a wealth of diverse projects, both fundamental and applied, in these areas:

  • Discrete mathematics, combinatorics, and graph theory
  • Analysis and differential equations
  • Computational mathematics
  • Statistics and stochastic analysis
  • Fluid mechanics
  • Mathematical Biology

Our strong interdisciplinary culture also offers exciting possibilities to interact with researchers in other disciplines, including physics, engineering, and the life sciences.

Explore our Research

In addition, as a PhD in mathematical sciences student, you will have access to a modern and diverse line-up of computing facilities and industry-standard software programs, including SAS, R, MATLAB, Python, and Turing, our high-performance computer cluster.

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Have questions?

WPI’s dedicated graduate student support team can help.

Find Student Support by Program

Looking for More of a Statistics Focus? Earn a PhD in Statistics Instead.

Maybe you’re interested in specializing in a statistics PhD rather than mathematical sciences? Our PhD in statistics challenges students to use critical thinking and problem solving to identify patterns in big data. Choose from six statistics and mathematics courses ranging from time series analysis to theoretic probability theory when you pursue a PhD in statistics at WPI.

 

 

Do You Need Your Master’s First? Explore Our Mathematics MS Programs.

Whether you have a passion for a specific area of mathematics like finance or prefer a broader scope of study, our mathematics master’s programs can help you gain the knowledge you need to get ahead. If you’re looking for a broad background in mathematics, our master’s in applied mathematics may be a good fit for you. Maybe you’re interested in how to solve complex problems as it pertains to business and industry? A master’s in industrial mathematics is the way to go. This MS program provides students the business background needed to tackle real-world industry problems. Do you have a gift for working with big data and tackling challenges? Be sure to explore our master’s in applied statistics, which dives into crucial statistical methods with the flexibility to select courses that align with your career aspirations. 

 

 

Just Starting to Carve Out Your College Career? Explore a BS in Mathematical Sciences.

If you’re an incoming undergrad interested in mastering mathematical theory to solve real-world problems, our BS in mathematical sciences could be the degree for you. Our bachelor’s explores pure mathematics, applied mathematics, and statistics to give you a breadth of expertise. WPI’s career outlook page for statistics and mathematics will give you a broad look at the field. 

Mathematical Sciences Department
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Similar Majors

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Master’s in Applied Mathematics
PhD in Statistics