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Department of Mathematics

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Research

USC is a top tier research university. Our research groups in Applied Mathematics, Commutative Algebra and Algebraic Geometry, Functional Analysis, Discrete Mathematics, and Number Theory have national and international recognition. 

Our Research Interests

Faculty in the Department of Mathematics are deeply committed to excellence in teaching and research. Many specialize in both current and emerging areas of pure and applied mathematics. Graduate students as well as undergraduate students have the opportunity to work with our esteemed faculty on research projects.

We encourage you to contact faculty members whose areas of interest match yours even before you arrive.

Matthew Ballard (Ph.D., University of Washington, 2008), Algebraic Geometry. Research Interests include: Derived categories, mirror symmetry, birational geometry, invariant theory. 

Alexander Duncan (Ph. D., University of British Columbia, 2011), Algebraic Geometry.  Research interests include: birational geometry, Galois cohomology, linear algebraic groups, rational surfaces, and toric varieties.

 George Androulakis (Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin, 1996), Quantum mechanics and quantum information.

Peter Binev (Ph.D., Sofia University, 1985), Scientific Computing, Approximation Theory, Numerical Analysis. Research interests include: nonlinear approximation, learning theory, high dimensional problems, numerical methods for PDEs, computer graphics, image and surface processing. 

Lili Ju (Ph.D., Iowa State University, 2002), Computational Mathematics. Research interests include: Scientific computation and numerical analysis. Exact boundary controllability problems for the wave equation. Parallel algorithms and high-performance computing. Human brain imaging. 

Wuchen Li (Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2016), Applied and Computational Mathematics. Research interests include: Data science, transport information geometry, mean field games, scientific computing, AI inference and optimization, mathematical modeling and inverse problems.

Xinfeng Liu (Ph.D., State University of New York at Stonybrook, 2006), Scientific computing, high performance computing, interfacial phenomena, multiphase flows, computational biology, cellular dynamics. 

Yi Sun (Ph.D., Princeton University, 2006) Applied and Computational Mathematics. Research interests include:  Multiscale modeling and simulation in solids, fluid mechanics, chemistry and biology; Mathematical modeling and computation of biomaterials, biofluids, cellular dynamics and traffic and pedestrian flow; Mathematical and computational neuroscience.

Changhui Tan (Ph.D., University of Maryland, 2014), Applied Mathematics. Research interests include: nonlinear partial differential equations, fluid dynamics, hyperbolic conservation laws and complex biological models.

Paula Vasquez (Ph.D., University of Delaware, 2007), Applied Mathematics. Current research interests include Multiscale Modeling and Simulation of viscoelastic fluid flows, Computational and mathematical biology 

Hong Wang (Ph.D., University of Wyoming, 1992), Numerical Analysis and Differential Equations. Research interests include: Numerical approximation to differential/integral equations, scientific computations. 

Qi Wang (Ph.D., Ohio State University, 1991), Applied and Computational Mathematics, Computational Fluid Dynamics and Rheology of Complex Fluids, Continuum Mechanics and Kinetic Theory, Multiscale Modeling and computation of soft matter and complex fluids of anisotropic Microstructures, Multiscale modeling and computation of biofluids and biomaterials, Parallel and high performance Computing. 

Zhu Wang (Ph.D., Virginia Tech, 2012), Applied and Computational Mathematics. Research interests include: numerical analysis, scientific computing, reduced-order modeling, climate modeling, and inverse problems. 

Xiaofeng Yang (Ph.D., Purdue University, 2007), Scientific computation, mathematical modeling of liquid crystalline polymers. Numerical analysis, spectral methods and scientific computing with applications in fluid mechanics.

Wolfgang Dahmen (Dr. rer. nat.,  RWTH Aachen, 1976), Numerical Analysis and Approximation Theory, especially adaptive solution concepts in Learning Theory or Computational Harmonic Analysis, and in interdisciplinary applications.

Pencho Petrushev (Ph.D., Sofia University, 1977), Approximation Theory, Harmonic Analysis, Numerical Methods. Research interests include: nonlinear approximation by rational functions, splines, and wavelets, approximation by ridge functions and neural networks, image processing. 

Vladimir Temlyakov (Ph.D., Steklov Institute, 1978), Approximations of functions in one variable and multivariable cases (approximations by polynomials, n-widths, optimal cubature formulas). Integral operators (estimates of singular numbers, approximation numbers, bilinear approximation of kernels of these operators). 

Andrew Kustin (Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1979), Commutative Algebra and Algebraic Geometry. Research interests include: the study of Cohen-Macaulay and Gorenstein algebras, finite free resolutions, linkage, deformation theory, and differential graded commutative algebras. 

Matthew Miller (Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1979), Commutative Algebra and Mathematical Biology. Research interests involve problems in commutative algebra mostly using homological techniques, and the relationships between Betti numbers and Hilbert functions. Recent interests are in mathematical biology, especially modeling of animal behavior. 

Adela Vraciu (Ph.D., University of Michigan, 2000), Commutative Algebra and Algebraic Geometry. Research interests include: tight closure theory, linkage, and homological properties of rings and modules. 

Peter Binev (Ph.D., Sofia University, 1985), Scientific Computing, Approximation Theory, Numerical Analysis. Research interests include: nonlinear approximation, learning theory, high dimensional problems, numerical methods for PDEs, computer graphics, image and surface processing. 

Mitchel Colebank (Ph.D., North Carolina State University, 2021), Mathematical modeling of the cardiovascular system, multiscale modeling in biology, uncertainty quantification, inverse problems, scientific machine learning, computational digital twins

Wolfgang Dahmen (Dr. rer. nat.,  RWTH Aachen, 1976), Numerical Analysis and Approximation Theory, especially adaptive solution concepts in Learning Theory or Computational Harmonic Analysis, and in interdisciplinary applications.

Lili Ju (Ph.D., Iowa State University, 2002), Computational Mathematics. Research interests include: Scientific computation and numerical analysis. Exact boundary controllability problems for the wave equation. Parallel algorithms and high-performance computing. Human brain imaging. 

Xinfeng Liu (Ph.D., State University of New York at Stonybrook, 2006), Scientific computing, high performance computing, interfacial phenomena, multiphase flows, computational biology, cellular dynamics.  

Yi Sun (Ph.D., Princeton University, 2006) Applied and Computational Mathematics. Research interests include:  Multiscale modeling and simulation in solids, fluid mechanics, chemistry and biology; Mathematical modeling and computation of biomaterials, biofluids, cellular dynamics and traffic and pedestrian flow; Mathematical and computational neuroscience.

Hong Wang (Ph.D., University of Wyoming, 1992), Numerical Analysis and Differential Equations. Research interests include: Numerical approximation to differential/integral equations, scientific computations. 

Qi Wang (Ph.D., Ohio State University, 1991), Applied and Computational Mathematics, Computational Fluid Dynamics and Rheology of Complex Fluids, Continuum Mechanics and Kinetic Theory, Multiscale Modeling and computation of soft matter and complex fluids of anisotropic Microstructures, Multiscale modeling and computation of biofluids and biomaterials, Parallel and high performance Computing. 

Zhu Wang (Ph.D., Virginia Tech, 2012), Applied and Computational Mathematics. Research interests include: numerical analysis, scientific computing, reduced-order modeling, climate modeling, and inverse problems. 

Xiaofeng Yang (Ph.D., Purdue University, 2007), Scientific computation, mathematical modeling of liquid crystalline polymers. Numerical analysis, spectral methods and scientific computing with applications in fluid mechanics.

Ralph Howard (Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, 1982), Differential and Integral Geometry with excursions into Analysis. Research interests include: global Lorentzian geometry, geometric inequalities, stochastic geometry and analysis related to differential equations arising in geometry.

Joshua Cooper (Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, 2003), Combinatorics and Number Theory. Research interests include: extremality, regularity, and quasirandomness of graphs and permutations; combinatorial number theory; universal cycles; coding theory; combinatorial algorithms. 

Eva Czabarka (Ph.D., University of South Carolina, 1998), Discrete Mathematics and its Applications. Research interests include: extremal set theory,  graph theory, crossing numbers, network science, bioinformatics.

Lincoln Lu (Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, 2002), Discrete Mathematics. Research interests include: large information networks, combinatorial probabilistic methods, extremal graph theory, algorithms, computational geometry, computational biology, and Internet computing. 

Laszlo Szekely (Ph.D., Eötvös University, 1983), Combinatorics and Graph Theory. Research Interests include Extremal combinatorics, discrete geometry, graphs drawn on Surfaces, Reconstruction of Phylogenetic trees from genetic sequences.

George Androulakis (Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin, 1996), Quantum mechanics and quantum information.

Stephen Dilworth (Ph.D., University of Cambridge, 1985), Functional Analysis. Research interests include: finite-dimensional and infinite-dimensional Banach space theory; classical Banach spaces; approximation in Banach spaces. 

Maria Girardi (Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1990), Functional Analysis. Research interests include: functional analysis, esp. classical and geometrical Banach space theory. 

Anton Schep (Ph.D., University of Leiden, 1977), Functional Analysis, Operator Theory. Research interests include: the study of linear integral operators on Banach function spaces, positive operators and C0-semigroups of positive operators on Banach lattices, spectral properties, and compactness properties of special classes of operators.

Haonan Zhang, Functional analysis, harmonic analysis, functional inequalities, noncommutative analysis, quantum information, mathematical aspects of quantum theory and related areas. 

Mitchel Colebank (Ph.D., North Carolina State University, 2021), Mathematical modeling of the cardiovascular system, multiscale modeling in biology, uncertainty quantification, inverse problems, scientific machine learning, computational digital twins

Xinfeng Liu (Ph.D., State University of New York at Stonybrook, 2006), Scientific computing, high performance computing, interfacial phenomena, multiphase flows, computational biology, cellular dynamics. 

Yi Sun (Ph.D., Princeton University, 2006) Applied and Computational Mathematics. Research interests include:  Multiscale modeling and simulation in solids, fluid mechanics, chemistry and biology; Mathematical modeling and computation of biomaterials, biofluids, cellular dynamics and traffic and pedestrian flow; Mathematical and computational neuroscience.

Paula Vasquez (Ph.D., University of Delaware, 2007), Applied Mathematics. Current research interests include Multiscale Modeling and Simulation of viscoelastic fluid flows, Computational and mathematical biology 

Qi Wang (Ph.D., Ohio State University, 1991), Applied and Computational Mathematics, Computational Fluid Dynamics and Rheology of Complex Fluids, Continuum Mechanics and Kinetic Theory, Multiscale Modeling and computation of soft matter and complex fluids of anisotropic Microstructures, Multiscale modeling and computation of biofluids and biomaterials, Parallel and high performance Computing. 

Matthew Boylan (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 2002), Number Theory. Research interests include: Number theory. In particular, elliptic modular forms and Maass forms and their applications to algebraic number theory, elliptic curves, L-functions, partitions, and other topics in number theory. 

Michael Filaseta (Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1984), Number theory, including analytic, classical algebraic, combinatorial, computational, elementary, and transcendence topics. Research interests include lattice points close to (or on) a curve or surface, the distribution of special sequences of integers in short intervals, applications of Pade approximations to Number Theory, the irreducibility of polynomials over the rationals, and computations with sparse or lacunary polynomials. 

Frank Thorne (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 2008), Number Theory; distribution of primes and broadly related questions. 

Ognian Trifonov (Ph.D., Sofia University, 1989), Analytic Number Theory and Approximation Theory with particular interests in the use of finite differences to determine information about lattice points close to a curve or surface. Interests also include the application of these results to gap problems in Number Theory. 

 


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