About Me

I was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. My father, Patrick Mooney, is a professor of sociology at the University of Kentucky and my mother, Renee Mooney, is a teacher for Fayette County Public Schools. My sister, Shannon Mooney, graduated from Northern Kentucky University and is a medical interpreter at The University of Kentucky Hospitals and Clinics. I attended public schools throughout K-12, and was lucky enough to have excellent teachers and educational opportunities throughout my time in Lexington. I then went to my first private school at Transylvania University, in Lexington and this was also an incredible learning environment. The math department was small but very tightly knit and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

I received my Ph.D. at The University of Iowa in 2013, where I studied under Professor Daniel D. Anderson (My full mathematical genealogy here). The Department of Mathematics at Iowa was wonderful and I met a lot of brilliant and caring people: graduate students and faculty alike. I will always have fond memories of my time in Iowa City. I began teaching mathematics as an Assistant Professor at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin in the Fall of 2013. From 2014-2018 I served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Westminster college in Fulton, Missouri. My journey continues at The University of Wisconsin - Stout where I will serve as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics in Menomonie, Wisconsin. I am happy to get back to Wisconsin where I can enjoy all of the essentials: ice cream, cheese, and a good beer.

Me with my family at the Rural Sociology Meetings in Madison, Wisconsin.

In addition to instilling a love of learning and education in me, my parents also bestowed upon me a love of travel. I went on numerous trips with my family abroad, often due to my father's research. This was a great opportunity for me even getting to attend school in England and Poland in elementary school. This love of travelling and seeing new places has stuck with me and I have a list of various trips along with some photos from each trip which can be found here.

Another thing which has persisted throughout my life has been the love of sports. In a town obsessed with college basketball, sports were a large part of everyday life. I especially enjoyed playing soccer and baseball. I was much better at soccer than baseball, where I played for Lafayette High School, earning all-city, and most valuable player honors. I played soccer briefly at Transylvania University, but stopped to focus on my studies. I continue to enjoy playing both soccer and now disc golf (easier on my body). While never really playing football or basketball, I still enjoy watching college football and basketball, especially following The University of Kentucky and Iowa programs. Typically one is more pleasant to follow than the other given which season it is.