Mathematics + Statistics Faculty Research

Dr. Bruno Jedynak with doctoral student Tuyen Tran

Research Activities

The department has active research areas in mathematics, statistics, and mathematics education. Our faculty share their research with the broader community through publishing, presentations, and organizing conferences. They are engaged in collaborative research with with the greater Portland area such as Oregon Department of Education, Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Intel, and Oregon Health Sciences University.

Read about Current Activities

Research Assistants

Some professors are able to provide Research Assistantships from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their direction. Students are selected by their excellence in scholarship and potential as researchers. The responsibilities and financial support vary based on the grant work. Students interested in this type of assistantship should speak directly with the faculty member that they are interested in working with.

Contact a faculty member

Algebra and Discrete Mathematics

graph theory, number theory, combinatorics, game theory, network simulation and graph algorithms

Steven A. Bleiler
John Caughman
Liubomir Chiriac
Derek Garton
Isabelle Shankar
Panayot Vassilevski

Analysis

variational and convex analysis, non-linear & functional analysis, applied analysis

Mau Nam Nguyen
JJP Veerman

Computational Mathematics

computational electromagnetism, geophysical data assimilation, inverse problems, multigrid methods, nano- optics, numerical analysis, optimization

Dacian Daescu
Jay Gopalakrishnan
Bin Jiang
Hannah Kravitz
Safa Mote
Mau Nam Nguyen
Jeffrey Ovall
Will Pazner
Isabelle Shankar
Panayot Vassilevski

Dynamical Systems, Differential Equations and Control

dynamical systems, mathematical control theory, mathematical biology

Dacian Daescu
Hannah Kravitz
Gerardo Lafferriere
Safa Mote
JJP Veerman

Mathematics Education (K-12)

mathematical knowledge for teaching, student learning in the middle grades, elementary and middle school mathematics teacher education

Steven Boyce
Eva Thanheiser

Mathematics Education (undergraduate)

teaching and learning of abstract algebra, statistics education research, undergraduate calculus and differential equations education

Sean Larsen

Mathematical Physics

JJP Veerman

Statistics and Applied Probability

survival analysis, nonparametric and semiparametric models, variance estimation, biostatistics, markov chain monte carlo algorithms, inverse problems in statistics, reliability theory, stochastic orders, estimation theory, sampling theory

Robert Fountain
Nadee Jayasena
Bruno Jedynak
Jong Sung Kim
Subhash Kochar
Dorcas Ofori-Boateng
Daniel Taylor-Rodriguez
Panayot Vassilevski
Ge Zhao

Topology and Geometry

algebraic topology, differential geometry, geometric mechanics

Steven A. Bleiler
JJP Veerman

Teacher writing on whiteboard and two students in foreground

PSU professors win $1M grant to connect math teaching to real-world issues

Cristina Rojas | May 25th 2021

"When will I ever use this in real life?" It's an age-old question that math teachers have had to face at one point or another. A new three-year project out of Portland State University and Ohio University will help address that question as researchers focus on making elementary mathematics more meaningful, relevant and applicable inside and outside...

Dr. Dacian Daescu - Using Mathematics to Analyze & Predict Large-Scale, Complex Systems

Prof. Daescu leads application-oriented research in computational and data-enabled science to analyze and predict the state of complex, large-scale dynamical systems mathematically modeled by ordinary differential equations (ODEs) or partial differential equations (PDEs) systems. Think global weather systems.

Dr. Daniel Taylor-Rodriguez - Oregon Connectivity Assessment & Mapping Project

Dr. Daniel Taylor-Rodriguez is developing statistical methods to validate hypothesized wildlife connectivity maps within the Oregon Connectivity Assessment & Mapping Project (OCAMP). These validated maps will aid statewide prioritization for mitigating barriers to wildlife movement.

Dr. Steve Boyce - Math in Real Life

Dr. Steve Boyce was the PI & PSU Project Lead for MiRL (Math in Real Life) from 2016-2019. MiRL is an Oregon Department of Education-funded collaborative professional development opportunity for teachers to develop and implement highly relevant applied math lessons for students in middle and high school.