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I'm a social mathematician with 6+ years of experience in research and education. My degrees (PhD, MA, BS) are all in mathematics and I minored in computer science in undergrad. I focused on computations in equivariant homotopy theory in grad school (which resulted in multiple publications), but have experience in operations research and teaching mathematical modeling. 

My work in operations research was for the Air Force, solving inverse problems to model political and infrastructure data collected during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In Spring '23, I taught mathematical modeling in the life sciences, which covered topics such as population and disease modeling, genetics propagation, and Markov chains.

My LinkedIn profile is here, and while you're scoping that out, check out my GitHub profile projects I've done. Why is my username sunnylikesunshine? It's my cat's name and everybody thinks it's Sonny (like Sonny & Cher), so I say it's Sunny like sunshine. Here's the cat tax (isn't he cute?).

Scroll down for my resume + extras or get the pdf here. On a more academic note, my full CV is here.

Education

Ph.D. Mathematics, University of Kentucky   December 2022

M.A. Mathematics, University of Kentucky             May 2019

B.S. Mathematics, Cedarville University, Summa Cum Laude                     May 2017

Minor in Computer Science

Experience

Assistant Professor     July 2022 - June 2023

University of Rochester   Rochester, NY

• Responsible for two Calculus and two mathematical modeling courses totaling 300 students. Topics ranged from voting methods and game theory to population models and Markov chains.

• Probability topics taught include: basic and conditional probability, Bayes’ theorem, Bernoulli processes, random variables, expectation, and variance.

• Organized research seminar in algebraic topology. Invited and scheduled 9 speakers, and facilitated networking between each speaker and members of the mathematics department.

Teaching and Research Associate             August 2017 - July 2022

University of Kentucky     Lexington, KY

• Wrote the 9th and 10th papers worldwide on the equivariant slice filtration, a novel and widely celebrated topological tool, resulting in publication in the international journal Math Z and 9 invited talks at conferences and universities including UCLA, Columbia, and Penn.
  Speaking record and publications on under Research/Talks.

• Awarded primary instructor of 6 graduate research courses focused on developing research skills of early career academics. Taught 500 undergraduate students over 9 courses ranging from Pre-calculus to Calculus II.
  Full list of courses and class notes on under Teaching.

• Recruited for 11 leadership positions to support early career academics and build diversity/community within the department. Volunteered for 3 separate year-long mentorship positions resulting in one university professorship and an internship for two industry focused careers. Industry mentees will complete PhD by 2025.

Research Intern     May 2017 - August 2017

Air Force Institute of Technology       Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH

• Received a clean NACI background check, valid until 2026. Employed during summers of 2016 and 2017.

• Researched differential equations modeling PMESI values from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Collaborated with mentors to produce a 212% improvement in model accuracy, verified using the Runge-Kutta 4 method in Maple.

• Regularly met with mentors and communicated research progress. Networked and developed public speaking skills via presentations at multiple conferences.

Articles

See the Research page.

Leadership

• High school coordinator, Appalachian Initiative for Mathematics, August 2019 - July 2022

AIM is part of an outreach program within the department of mathematics, modeled after a similar program, the Heartland Partnership, currently in place at the University of Iowa. The primary goal with AIM was to provide more access to undergraduate and graduate education for underrepresented students. In the long term, the goal was to help increase diversity within the mathematics community.

• Vice President, Spectra Student Chapter, University of Kentucky, August 2021 - July 2022.

This is the organization whose student chapter I cofounded. Spectra is a national organization supporting LGBT mathematicians. Their goal is to provide a safe environment for LGBT mathematicians and allies to build community and learn about LGBT contributions to mathematics.

• President, Association for Women in Mathematics Student Chapter, University of Kentucky, August 2019 - July 2020.

I was an active member of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM). Each semester we organized events to support underrepresented students in mathematics and foster community among undergraduates and graduate students of all disciplines. More information can be found on the student chapter website.

• Treasurer, Association for Women in Mathematics Student Chapter, University of Kentucky, January 2019 - July 2019.

• Lead teaching assistant for Business Calculus, Fall 2019.

I had to apply for this position. Responsibilities included writing weekly quizzes and observing graduate students teach, reinforcing best teaching practices, and providing guidance on classroom improvements. My job, essentially, was to help other graduate students improve in their teaching.

Awards and Fellowships

• Association of Emeriti Faculty Endowed Fellowship, University of Kentucky, December 2020.

• Honorable Mention, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, April 2019.

• Graduate Scholars in Mathematics Fellowship, University of Kentucky, August 2017 - May 2019.

• Heyd Math and Science Scholarship, Cedarville University, August 2016 - May 2017.

• Cedarville President’s Scholar Award, August 2013 - May 2017.

• Cedarville Honors College, August 2013 - May 2017. 

• Cedarville Dean’s List, every semester, August 2013 - May 2017.