DiM Research Panel PART II – Professors (Winter 2024)

1. Intro

• Mehdi DagDoug
  • Assistant Professor
  • Missing data treatment in surveys
  • Methodological work
  • Tools: theory and simulations
• Brent Pynn
  • Pure mathematization
  • Algebraic geometry
  • Geometry as a tool to answer questions
• Jérôme Vétois
  • Theory of nonlinear elliptic PDE
• Eric Kolaczyk
  • Statistics
• Henri Darmon
  • Infinite sums in number theory

2. What math background are you looking for in potential students?

• Mehdi:
  • Some probability, some analysis.
  • Two components:
    • one more applied (RStudio, Python, course in stats and probability)
    • one more theory (good if you have more advanced probability)
• Brent:
  • His subject is one that you encounter late
  • Algebraic geometry class, that he is teaching
  • Abstract algebra
  • Calculus, complex analysis
  • Computer programming
• Jerome:
  • Analysis 1 and 2, minimum
  • Advanced calculus
• Eric:
  • Numerical
  • Know how to code in R, Python…
  • But to know what you are coding, need probability and statistics 323, 324, 423 (regression analysis). These are minimal requirements & foundation for numerical work.
• Henri:
  • Algebra 1-4
  • Analysis 1, 2
  • Programming is a big plus
  • Number theory has a big experimental side to it
• Joel:
  • Algebra 1, 2, 3 are helpful

3. Would there be opportunities for U1 students?

• Mehdi: a bit early, maybe – depends on the background
• Brent: prioritizes senior students
• Jerome: Analysis 1 and 2

4. How do we apply/obtain a position?

• Come to the office, introduce yourselves
• Email

5. When doing summer research, what are the day-to-day workload and goals?

• Joel:
  • Depends, by end-of-summer students should have made a good start.
  • Write a paper, the beginning of it
  • Meet once a week with professor.
  • Meet a couple of times a week with post-doc, and then work on your own
• Henri:
  • 2 or 3 students
  • Weekly session with mentor
  • Encouraged to interact with peers
  • Expectations: learn new math (if you write a paper, great!)
• Eric:
  • Group-based approach
  • Milestones, don’t micro-manage
  • Match undergraduate student with a post-doc
  • Research office hours
  • Meet as needed with mentors
  • With SURA, etc. he is in department throughout the week
• Jerome:
  • Meet with students once a week, more if they are stuck
  • A lot of reading
  • Different options, so you are not stuck on one problem
  • Goals fluctuate
• Brent:
  • Two students working on the same problem, communication
  • Won’t dictate everything you do, self-directed work
  • Develop the skill to find a way around if you get stuck