UC Davis to Host Prestigious International Mathematics Conference

The UC Davis campus is readying to host the 35th International Conference on Formal Power Series & Algebraic Combinatorics (FPSAC), a prestigious event that attracts a global audience and runs from July 17 to 21. Since 1988, FPSAC has brought together the brightest minds in mathematics to discuss the latest advances in algebraic and enumerative combinatorics, and to explore the field’s impact on other disciplines, including physics, chemistry, biology and computer science. 

Four Faculty Receive Incentives for Large Grant Awards

A mathematician, a linguist, a chemist and a physicist are among this year’s cohort to receive Incentives for Large Grant Awards from the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis. The Incentives for Large Grant Awards program provides faculty with up to $80,000 in support over two years to pursue large grants over $1 million. “Large proposals require a significant investment of time and resources,” according to the Strategic Initiatives team behind the Incentives for Large Grant Awards program. “Often, our faculty are unable to pursue large grants because there is simply insufficient time to devote to proposal development and submission.” The Incentives for Large Grant Awards program aims to ease that difficulty.

Mathematician, Designer and Science Historian Named Dean’s Faculty Fellows

A mathematician studying the geometry behind refractions, a technologist creating wearables for the chronically ill, and a science historian revealing the complex history of sociogenomics have been named the 2023 Dean’s Faculty Fellows for the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis. The three-year fellowships are part of the College of Letters and Science Faculty Investment Initiative to support early faculty research excellence and development.

Perception Inception: Exploring Decision-Making in the Brain with Rishidev Chaudhuri

Associate Professor Rishidev Chaudhuri’s research sits in the nexus of mathematics, physics and neuroscience. Chaudhuri studies processing strategies in the brain using mathematics and physics. One direction of his research concerns the neural underpinnings of decision-making, an avenue of research that’s making neuroscientists rethink longstanding narratives about how the brain functions.

Three College of Letters and Science Students Ready to Rumble for UC Davis Grad Slam

Three College of Letters and Science graduate students will test their research communication prowess at the upcoming 2023 UC Davis Grad Slam. Created and organized by Graduate Studies, the competition provides 10 graduate students the opportunity to present a three-minute pitch about their research. The competition will be held at the UC Davis Graduate Center on April 6 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Course Tackles Big Tech Privacy Concerns

Geared toward mathematics, statistics and computer science graduate students, MAT 280: “Fairness, Privacy and Trustworthiness in Machine Learning” aims to elevate tenets of social responsibility when it comes to developing machine learning and artificial intelligence-based systems. The special topics class focuses on the mathematical concepts underlying machine learning and how these concepts can be used for the better.

The Tangled Fate of Math and Biology with Mariel Vazquez

From pocketed headphones to carelessly packed garden hoses, knots find ways to manifest. Even our DNA molecules get tied in knots too. Professor Mariel Vazquez applies her training in mathematics to fundamental questions about DNA structure and functionality.

Sloan Fellowships for Chemist and Mathematician

Two College of Letters and Science faculty members are among 125 recipients of this year’s Sloan Research Fellowships, prestigious awards given by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to early-career scientific researchers seen as emerging leaders in their fields.

The 2023 fellows, including UC Davis’ Jesús M. Velázquez and Alexander S. Wein, “represent the most promising scientific researchers working today,” the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation said in announcing its selections Feb. 15.