Dear friends of the Math Department,

It is my pleasure to share this inaugural issue of the Departmental Newsletter, celebrating our achievements, milestones, and recent developments. It has been an eventful period for the department, and we have accomplished a lot together, despite the financial and political uncertainties. 

We welcomed new faculty to our ranks: Claire Merriman (teaching, MEGL) and Nathan Wagner (tenure track). We also said goodbye to colleagues Val Soltan, Bob Sachs, and Ros Toala, and we mourned the untimely loss of our colleague Ermias Kassaye, who will be dearly missed. Our postdocs Casey Blacker and Rose Kaplan-Kelly secured faculty positions, and several graduate students defended their dissertations and moved on to excellent opportunities in academia and industry.

This year was rich with MAA and SIAM conferences and scientific workshops. We expanded outreach initiatives such as the Annual Calculus Olympiad (now in its third year), Mason Math Odyssey, and Math Bootcamps. We launched new BS concentrations in pure mathematics and data science, revamped our math minor, and strengthened the structure of our PhD program, which remains the highest-ranked graduate program in the College of Science.

I hope you enjoy reading our student and faculty success stories below. They reflect the dedication, talent, and collaborative spirit of our community.

Best wishes for a productive year ahead,    
Maria

Dr. Sarah Khankan: My Priorities as Undergraduate Director

As the new Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Mathematical Sciences, I am committed to enhancing the undergraduate experience at Mason. 

My priorities include strengthening coordination across foundational math courses to ensure consistency and high quality, and reviewing our BS concentrations to better reflect student interests, career pathways, and emerging interdisciplinary fields. I also plan to build on our advising practices while expanding opportunities for undergraduate research, internships, and community engagement. Together, these efforts will create a more cohesive and supportive journey for our students from their first math class to graduation.

About Dr. Sarah Khankan

Dr. Sarah Khankan is an Instructional Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at George Mason University and currently serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies. From 2019 to 2025, she led the department’s Math Testing Center, where she spearheaded innovations such as online exam proctoring. She earned her PhD in Computational Fluid Dynamics from the University of Pittsburgh, and both her BS and MS in Computational Sciences from the American University of Beirut. Her work includes coordinating foundational math courses, developing asynchronous offerings, and researching instructional effectiveness, with publications in numerical methods, computational fluid dynamics, and big data applications.

George Mason University’s Math Department hosted the Spring 2025 MD-DC-VA MAA Meeting in April, bringing together more than 100 faculty, students, and math enthusiasts from the region. The two-day program featured engaging talks, interactive workshops, and spirited student competitions. 

In April, the Department of Mathematical Sciences hosted the Mathematics Olympiad for Elementary and Middle Schools (MOEMS), welcoming 45 students from nine DC area elementary schools for a day of problem-solving and discovery. MEGL led a hands-on activity on irrational numbers, helping students explore math through geometry. The event celebrated curiosity, creativity, and inspired the next generation of mathematical thinkers.

In April, George Mason welcomed 150 students from 18 institutions across the DMV region for the Third Annual Mason Calculus Olympiad, hosted by the Department of Mathematical Sciences and CMAI. Students competed in both individual and team rounds, tackling challenging calculus problems designed by George Mason faculty. Congressman Don Beyer welcomed the participants and Prof. Padhu Seshaiyer gave a keynote address.

Harbir Antil (Director for the Center for Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence) led the organization of several recent conferences including Sayas Numerics Day (May 2024), the SIAM DC-MD-VA Meeting (Dec 2024), and the 5th East Coast Optimization Meeting (April 2025), which emphasized optimization and digital twins. He will also participate in ICERM’s Spring 2026 program. 

Several members of the Department of Mathematical Sciences were honored with Dean’s Awards at the 2024 and 2025 College of Science Celebrations of Success. Benjamin Schweinhart received the Mentorship Award for his outstanding guidance of graduate students. Jennifer Lawler earned the staff Rising Star Award for her leadership and service to the department, supporting teaching, research, and outreach activities. Harbir Antil was recognized with the Research Scientist Award for groundbreaking work in numerical analysis, including methods used in AI-driven scientific modeling. Tim Bryan was recognized with the Dean's Creative Educator Award for his pedagogical innovation.

The Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition (VMSC) selected two George Mason University initiatives for its 2025 “Programs That Work” Awards, recognizing outstanding contributions to STEM education across the Commonwealth. The awards were presented in May at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond. Both programs are coordinated by Padmanabhan Seshaiyer, a professor and leader in STEM education. The selected programs include the "Virginia High School Teacher Data Science Institute," and the "Sustainable Student Pathways in Data Science & Computing Applications for the Commonwealth."

In December 2024, Professor Robert Sachs of the Department of Mathematical Sciences received the Dean’s Career Achievement Recognition in honor of his extraordinary contributions to George Mason University and the broader academic community. A distinguished educator, researcher, and mentor, Sachs retired this year, leaving behind a legacy of innovation, leadership, and impact.  “Bob has been spearheading pedagogical innovation at Mason for decades,” said Mathematical Sciences Chair Maria Emelienenko.  

In Spring 2024, Professor Valeriu Soltan retired from George Mason after 25 years of remarkable contributions in teaching, research, and academic leadership. A globally respected expert in convex and discrete geometry, graph theory, combinatorics, and computational geometry, Soltan authored over 150 scientific works, and is especially recognized for advancing classical linear algebra, axiomatic convexity theory, and computational geometry, as well as making impactful contributions in optimization methods.

Casey, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, has explored higher structures in differential geometry and algebra, an abstract field with potential ties to theoretical physics. During his time at George Mason University, he presented internationally and mentored students through MEGL, an undergraduate honors thesis, and a graduate project. Passionate about both research and teaching, Casey now moves on to a new role as Assistant Professor at Augusta University, where he will continue his academic and mentoring pursuits. 

The Department of Mathematical Sciences at George Mason University proudly celebrates Biniyam Tibebu, who earned his PhD in May 2025. While teaching five courses each semester as a full-time faculty member at Northern Virginia Community College, he completed his doctorate without the support of a teaching or research assistantship. His path required extraordinary discipline, perseverance, and commitment to both his students and his research. Tibebu’s journey is a powerful testament to what can be achieved through resilience, passion, and unwavering determination.

Jeanie Schreiber, a fifth-year PhD candidate in mathematics at George Mason University, is a COVES Policy Fellow placed with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Her research focuses on making AI more transparent and mathematically sound. Through the fellowship, she applies her skills to real policy challenges, showing how math can shape education and technology across Virginia.

Rose Kaplan-Kelly served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at George Mason University from Fall 2023 to Spring 2025. Her research in knot theory and hyperbolic 3-manifolds led to multiple publications and collaborations. At Mason, she taught undergraduate courses, mentored a MEGL project, and co-organized a geometry seminar. Last summer, she began a new role as a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York.

Emmanuel Teddy Fleurantin, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at George Mason University, specializes in dynamical systems, computational mathematics, and data assimilation. His recent work includes a publication in Chaos and upcoming presentations at major conferences. In addition to co-organizing multiple SIAM events, he mentors undergraduates through the Mason Experimental Geometry Lab and the Mathematics and Climate Research Network, advancing both theoretical research and real-world scientific applications.

This year has been marked by outstanding accomplishments across our graduate student community. From awards to international research presentations, our students continue to demonstrate excellence in scholarship, teaching, and outreach. Here's a look at some of the highlights: 

Deepanshu Verma completed his PhD in Applied Mathematics at George Mason University, where, while a student, he built a strong foundation in numerical analysis, optimization, and optimal control. His time at George Mason was marked by numerous honors, including being named a Presidential Fellow and receiving the Dean's Graduate Award for Excellence. Now at Clemson University, his research blends machine learning, optimization, and PDE control with applications in science, engineering, and medicine.

Aleyah Dawkins' dissertation, Topics in Extremal and Computational Graph Theory, focuses on topics in both extremal and computational graph theory to better understand conditions that guarantee certain graph properties. In extremal graph theory, studying how large a parameter of a graph, like the number of edges, can be if the graph satisfies certain properties. In computational graph theory, using the graph theoretical concepts to study computational problems related to cyber security.

She received the Dean’s Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Research at George Mason University in 2024 and is now an NSF Ascend Postdoctoral Researcher at Carnegie Mellon University

Tracey Oellerich's PhD thesis on "Data-Driven Methods for Biological Network Dynamics and Feature Identification" led to the development of new algorithms for identifying conservation laws from experimental data, and finding proteins responsible for cancer cell drug resistance. As an Industrial Immersion program (IIP) fellow, she  had an opportunity to collaborate with molecular biologists, participate in an NIH internship, and was one of 200 students worldwide selected to participate in the Helberberg Laureate Forum.

In addition, Tracey was a finalist in the University-wide Three Minute Thesis competition (3MT) and received the Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Research at George Mason University in 2023. As of Fall 2025, Tracey started a postdoc position working with Prof. Karin Leiderman in the Computational Medicine program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Professor Loizides’ research explores rich intersections of geometry and analysis, with a special focus on moduli spaces of bundles, connections, metrics, and Higgs fields on surfaces. His interests span symplectic geometry and geometric quantization, index theory and Dirac operators, K-theory, noncommutative geometry, Lie groupoids and algebroids, loop groups, and mathematics inspired by theoretical physics. Loizides brings a deep and integrative approach to the study of these structures, contributing to the vibrant research environment.

Prof. Loizides received international recognition for his work by receiving the André Lichnerowicz Prize in Poisson Geometry in 2022.

Professor Evelyn Sander  serves as the department’s Director of Graduate Studies. She led a MEGL project focused on using topological data analysis (TDA) for flood prediction, in collaboration with Thomas Wanner, PhD student Frank Pryor, and several undergraduate researchers. Last summer, Sander co-organized the SL Math Graduate Summer School “Computer-Assisted Proofs in Applied Mathematics” alongside Jonathan Jaquette. In early 2026, the AMS Notices will publish “3D Printing of Invariant Manifolds in Dynamical Systems” with  students Summer Chenoweth, Alonso Ogueda-Oliva, and Julia Seay, PhD graduate Patrick R. Bishop, and postdoc Emmanuel Fleurantin.

Dr. Harry Bray’s current research explores the dynamics of generalized Fuchsian and Kleinian groups—symmetry groups of hyperbolic 3-space with deep connections to chaos theory and geometry. His work expands the understanding of chaotic behavior in new settings, including isometric actions on coarsely hyperbolic spaces and subgroups of the mapping class group. These systems exhibit deterministic yet seemingly random behavior, offering insight into non-uniform chaos.

Bray’s contributions have been recognized with a 2025 Simons Travel Grant and a 4-VA Collaborative Research Grant, awarded jointly with GMU colleague Anton Lukyanenko. The grant will support a summer 2026 workshop on geometric topology in the Shenandoah mountains.

Committed to mentoring, Bray guided graduate student Madeline Horton, recipient of the Provost’s GRA Award, who recently presented the opening talk in his four-part mini-course at UVA on logarithm laws in geometric group theory.

Dr. Rayanne Luke is an assistant professor who works in computational modeling with biological and medical applications. Her projects are strongly connected to real world data, and she collaborates with immunologists and optometrists. Luke’s current research includes probabilistic and Markov chain modeling of antibody kinetics, contact lens drug delivery modeling, and modeling and agent-based simulation of biofilm matrix detachment and enzymatic disruption.

From July 2024 to June 2025, Luke led a 4-VA collaborative research grant-funded team of immunologists (L. Muehling and G. Canderan, UVA), a GMU graduate student (K. Ellis), and GMU undergraduate students (J. O'Hanlon, K. Sullivan) on the project "Data-Driven Modeling of the Time-Dependent Immune Response to Infection and Vaccination." She was also recently awarded a Simons Foundation Travel Support for Mathematicians Award, which provides five years of travel support beginning in September 2025.

MEGL had a busy and exciting 2024-2025 with six active projects, bringing together nine faculty mentors, six graduate students, and 21 undergrads. Several of our teams traveled to the Joint Math Meetings in Seattle to present the amazing work they’ve done in past semesters. 

A big shoutout to Prof. Kirsch, William Carey, Matthew Kearney, and Stefan Popescu—their former MEGL project, Universal Partial Tori, was recently published in Designs, Codes, and Cryptography! 

On the outreach side, our team, led by Prof. Toala, made a big impact—reaching 804 students through 42 school activities. 

A strong fall semester was completed with six new projects (two of them continuing from the spring), plus some exciting lab upgrades thanks to new funding from the Virginia Higher Education Equipment Trust Fund (ETF). Stay tuned! 

Research Focus
Nathan Andrew Wagner’s research lies in analysis, with particular emphasis on harmonic analysis, one and several complex variables, and operator theory. In broad terms, his work explores real and complex functions—their smoothness, size, integrability, and approximability—and how these properties behave under well-structured transformations. At Mason, he is eager to teach a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses, especially in analysis.

Grant Award
Wagner was recently awarded a National Science Foundation grant through the Analysis Program in the Division of Mathematical Sciences. This grant will support his collaborative research travel, provide summer salary funding, and offer opportunities for two undergraduate students to engage in research under his mentorship.

Undergraduate and graduate students interested in pursuing research projects with him are encouraged to reach out by email or stop by his office in Exploratory 2218.

In the spring of 2023, the Program for Advanced Teaching of Mathematics (PAT Math) began for GTAs who wanted to develop pedagogical and instructional skills prior to instructing their own courses. The year-long program, led by Tim Bryan in his role as a GTA Coordinator, has featured monthly seminar sessions on topics such as assessment, classroom management, active learning, and more. Enrolled GTAs are paired with faculty mentors and co-teach lessons while developing instructional materials. To date, 38 GTAs have enrolled in PAT Math, with 20 completing it. The effect has been strengthened mathematics instruction for thousands of students. 

Professor Thomas Wanner’s research sits at the intersection of dynamical systems, partial differential equations, and topology. He currently serves on three editorial boards for journals and book series in these areas. In Summer 2025, Wanner co-authored a book with Marian Mrozek of Jagiellonian University (Krakow, Poland), titled Connection Matrices in Combinatorial Topological Dynamics. That same year, he contributed internationally by serving on the scientific committee for a conference in Poland and on the jury for a habilitation thesis in France. Wanner was awarded a Simons Foundation Collaboration Grant, which will support his travel to collaborate with colleagues over the next several years.

In addition to his theoretical contributions, Wanner developed a Julia-based software package, ConleyDynamics, designed for research in topological dynamics. In Spring 2025, he co-advised a MEGL research team that used ConleyDynamics to analyze topographic data and model potential flooding scenarios following a dam break. Their study included an application to Burke Lake Park, and the team’s work was recognized with a poster prize at the MEGL end-of-semester session.

2025 Mason Math Odyssey (MMO) Camp was a whirlwind of discovery, problem-solving, and mathematical creativity! In 2025, we ran two sessions for the first time. Campers at each session explored five engaging themes throughout the week: Algebra, Geometry, Combinatorics, Modeling, and Number Theory. Students learned to appreciate mathematics through hands-on activities, games, and collaborative challenges.

From simulating predator-prey ecosystems and cracking ciphers to modeling minimal surfaces and competing in a lively 24 Game tournament, students showed incredible enthusiasm and insight. The week wrapped up with student group presentations and a fun mathematical scavenger hunt, leaving us amazed by their talent and teamwork.

The Department of Mathematics proudly hosted the Summer 2025 Math Bootcamp from July 28 to August 8, 2025. Co-directed by faculty members Catherine A. Sausville and Ermias Kassaye, this two-week intensive program was designed to prepare students for success in university-level mathematics courses, particularly at George Mason University.

Nearly 80 students took part in the program, which provided an opportunity to override the math placement test by meeting specific requirements. To qualify, students were expected to maintain full attendance, score 65 or higher on two weekly in-person knowledge tests, and complete daily assignments that sharpened critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, algebraic, and logical skills.

The Bootcamp’s success was made possible through the dedication of eight graduate assistants and four undergraduate learning assistants, who supported instruction and engaged students throughout the program. Their efforts ensured that participants received the guidance and practice needed to strengthen their math foundations.

This initiative was supported by funding from the Department of Mathematical Sciences and the Office of the Provost, underscoring Mason’s commitment to providing students with the tools they need to thrive in their academic journeys.