Letters of Recommendation

  • If you are an REU student in my summer program please start by asking your mentor for a letter. If you are working on one of the projects directly in my research group then it would be suitable to discuss a possible letter from me.
  • If you are a department Chair soliciting a promotion letter for one of your colleagues - please make sure that I am an expert in their research before asking for a letter. The fact that the candidate is in applied mathematics is insufficient to guarantee that I know something about theier research area. If they are regularly citing my papers in their work and perhaps more importantly I am citing their papers, then I am likely to be able to comment on their research. If you are unsure then please send me an informal inquiry first. Please note that applied mathematicians become experts in other areas of science and typically we can comment on research that addresses similar connections that we have addressed in our own work, but may not be able to comment well on applications in areas that we have not studied.
  • I need at least a month of lead time before writing a letter. If I am asked to provide a detailed promotion letter in a short period of time I am likely to be on travel or with my own deadlines and unable to do so.