I am an assistant professor in mathematics at UCLA. I develop mathematical models; asymptotic, computational and experimental for physical problems, many of which are inspired by biology. I’m particularly interested in studying the physical constraints on organisms that must disperse, grow or propel themselves in challenging physical environments. Examples of this include the dispersal of fungal spores, how thick mats of bacteria spread, and the many different nuclei present within filamentous fungi stay mixed during growth. Although new problems are the motor of my research, these studies can provide surprising insights into the properties of the equations that are used to model the systems.

My work is currently funded by a fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.