By the Numb3rs Fall 2017

People

New Faculty

Armin Schikorra

Armin SchikorraI did my PhD in mathematics at RWTH Aachen University in Germany in September 2010 with Heiko von der Mosel. After being a postdoc at ETH Zurich, Max-Planck Institute Leipzig, and the University of Basel I became Heisenberg Fellow at the University of Freiburg in 2016, before I moved to the University of Pittsburgh in 2017. Currently I work on partial differential equations which are often motivated from the geometric calculus of variations, one example being harmonic maps between manifolds and various generalizations thereof. In particular I am interested in regularity theory of such local or nonlocal equations. The techniques are usually combinations of geometric considerations and harmonic analysis, e.g. commutator estimates and compensation effects.

Roman Federov

Roman Fedorov obtained his PhD degree from the University of Chicago under the supervision of Victor Ginzburg. Before joining the University of Pittsburgh, he had positions at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Boston University, Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, Bonn, and Kansas State University. He is working at the intersection of algebraic geometry and representation theory with a view towards quantum physics and number theory. Most of his work is related to the geometric Langlands Program.

Rachid Belhachemi

Rachid Belhachemi joins us from Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University, where he was the Director of the MSc Program in Financial Mathematics.  Dr. Belhachemi did his PhD work at Oklahoma State University.  He will be a valuable addition to our actuarial mathematics program, having passed multiple actuarial professional exams and having extensive experience in teaching actuarial science courses.  His research interests are in financial mathematics, risk management, and actuarial science.

New Staff

Hannah McMunn, Graduate Administrator

Hannah McMunnHello math department and alumni! I moved to Pittsburgh in June this year from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and while I’ve been enjoying the warmer temperatures here, the snow this past week is quickly making Pittsburgh feel like home! Thank you to many of you who have stopped by my office to get to know me these past few months and share your wealth of Pittsburgh knowledge. Outside of work, I also volunteer as a leader of a church for college students here at Pitt, so you may also see me around campus on the evenings and weekends as I help lead campus Bible studies and mentor undergraduate students. I am also very interested in the “big questions” of life and religion, such as science and faith or objective and subjective truth, and am always interested in engaging in intelligent conversations about these over lunch if you are ever interested in sharing your perspective! Whether you have a question about graduate studies in Math or would just like to stop by and say hi, my door is (usually) always open and I have a candy jar of chocolates I am happy to share, so please continue stopping by my office in Thackeray 309! Thanks again for welcoming me into the Math department – Hail to Pitt! 

Ryan Whitesitt, PayrollRyan Whitesitt

My name is Ryan Whitesitt, and I am originally from Pittsburgh, PA.  I then lived in Las Vegas, NV for 11 years followed by 6 years in Reno, NV.  I have been working for the University of Pittsburgh for 5 years now and look forward to working alongside the Department of Mathematics in my new role and getting to know its employees.