Undergraduate Students

As a math major on the pre-health track, I am interested in how mathematical modeling of physiological systems can help determine the most efficient courses of treatment. I am particularly interested in the human cardiac system. This summer, I am working with Professor Peskin on creating a robust, fluid dynamics model of fetal congenital heart disease, which will hopefully be able to demonstrate how surgical corrections are able to resolve the disease's complications.

Ling Lan is a senior student who is major in Honors Mathematics and minor in computer science. She is interested in numerical methods and in mathematical modeling of various fields. In summer 2018, Ling is working with Miranda Holmes-Cerfon on modeling and simulating self-folding origami.

Nick Lewis is a senior majoring in Math at the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS). His primary interests include fluid dynamics and biophysics. Currently, he is working under the supervision of Professor Leif Ristroph to investigate the existence of stable points in migratory bird flight formations.

As a mathematics major and pre-medical student, I am particularly interested in how mathematics can be applied to biology through the use of mathematical models and simulations. I am currently working on creating a model for motor neuron stimulation of muscle contractions and the force that is produced as a result. Through the use of ODEs to describe calcium dynamics and muscle force generation, coupled to action potentials in the neuromuscular junction, I hope to not only model this as a healthy process but also model where problems occur in a variety of neuromuscular diseases.

Tianrui Xu is an Undergraduate student advised by Charles S. Peskin. Her interests are in mathematical modeling and probability theory. She is currently working on the mathematical models for red blood cell and its exocytosis process.

Peilin Zhen is a rising junior working with Dimitris Giannakis. Her interests lie in the interdisciplinary applications of data science and machine learning. Currently she is working on observing and characterizing the pattern of climate phenomena such as El Nino Southern Oscillation using Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space techniques to identify coherent temporal patterns in sea surface temperature data.

Zach Danial is a senior at NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study concentrating on mathematical modeling and simulation of complex systems.  He is mostly focused on agent-based modelling in economics, finance, biology and ecology, seeking to leverage simulation to inform real-world decision making.  During the summer of 2019 he participated in Courant's AM-SURE program, working with Dr. Charles Puelz to study the effect of technician error on blood plasma transfusion procedures.

As an undergrad majoring in honors mathematics with a minor in computer science at New York University, he primarily draws inspirations from probability theory and stochastic processes. In summer 2019, he worked with Professor Charles S. Peskin and created a stochastic network to model a large population of neurons, which took synaptic failures, spontaneous leaking, and other neuron behaviors into consideration. He focused on analyzing the occurrence of the bifurcation phenomenon between synchronized and unsynchronized firing modes. And, the study clarified the roles of various neuron behaviors in terms of synchronizing neuron firings. 

Alexandre Milewski is an undergraduate reading Mathematics at the University of Bristol. Alex's interests predominantly lie in mathematical modelling, on the interface between analysis and computation. At Courant, he worked with Prof. Esteban Tabak and Prof. Debra Laefer on writing a sample driven Optimal Transportation algorithm (i.e. an algorithm for computing the optimal map between two distributions known only through their samples), with a focus on its applications in change detection.

Paulina is a senior majoring in Honors Mathematics at the University of Michigan. She is primarily interested in modeling natural phenomena. At Courant in the summer of 2019, she worked with Dr. Jennifer Crodelle and Dr. Calina Copos on creating a mathematical model of the Merkel cell, a touch-sensitive cell in the skin that communicates with the nervous system through electrical signals.

Vaish Gajaraj is an undergraduate majoring in mathematics and data science at NYU. He is excited about the potential of data to better understand the natural world. He is primarily interested in using statistics and computer science for solving real-world problems. In the summer of 2019, he worked with Dr. Esteban Tabak and Dr. Debra Laefer on a project in civil engineering. With the help of his mentors and the AM-SURE program, he analyzed how structural issues arise over time in NYC buildings and bridges using the Theory of Optimal Transport.