Mathematics Research

Work with professors who do research in a number of different areas of mathematics.

female professor sitting at a desk and talking with a student

A Top Research University

The University of Mississippi is designated as a R-1 Highest Research Activity University by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. We are in an elite group of 2.5% of universities nationwide for world class research faculty, spending on research, and production of graduate students.

The Mathematics department does research in these subfields:

  • Algebra
  • Mathematical Analysis
  • Combinatorics
  • Dynamical Systems
  • Number Theory
  • Probability and Statistics

Faculty Research

professor standing in front of chalk board with math on it

The Distribution of Zeros of L-Functions and Related Questions

Micah Milinovich, professor of mathematics, studies the properties of integers and recently was awarded a National Science Foundation grant to fund his research. The award for "The Distribution of Zeros of L-Functions and Related Questions" supports his work in number theory, a branch of mathematics that studies properties of integers.

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NSF EPSCoR Research Fellows

Headshot of Ayla Gafni

Harmonic Analysis

Ayla Gafni, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, is an expert in analytic number theory, harmonic analysis, and combinatorics. Early in her career she received a Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from the Oak Ridge Associated Universities. More recently she was named a research fellow by NSF’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) to foster new research collaborations in harmonic analysis with Dr. Terence Tao, known as the “Mozart of Math,” at UCLA.

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Headshot of Hailin Sang with books in the background

Long Memory Linear Random Fields

Linear random fields are important stochastic models that can help data analysts understand complex systems, quantify risk and uncertainty, and find optimal solutions. The principal investigator (PI), Dr. Hailin Sang will collaborate with MSU Foundation Professor Yimin Xiao from Michigan State University and develop new methods to study long-memory linear random fields. This will be the first research program on random fields and spatial data analysis at the University of Mississippi (UM) and within the state of Mississippi. This research will result in collaborative research projects in nonparametric estimation for long-memory linear random fields, focusing on innovation in the domain of attraction of stable laws.

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Student Theses and Dissertations

  • A Comparison of Assessment Experiences between Standards-Based Practices and Traditional Practices within Secondary Mathematics Classrooms

    The purpose of this research was to compare assessment experiences and find ways to improve those experiences for students in two mathematics classrooms: one classroom that employs Standards-Based Grading and one classroom that uses traditional grading practices.

    Read Emily Mayes's Undergraduate Thesis, BS Math, BAEd Mathematics Education '24
  • Imperfect Immunity and the Stability of a Modified Kermack-McKendrick Model

    In this thesis, we introduce a coefficient of waning immunity in order to produce a modified Kermack-McKendrick model and analyze whether the model yields system stability with a certain amount of infection present.

    Read Kaylee Sims's Undergraduate Thesis, BS '23
  • The Efficacy of the COVID Vaccine in Mississippi

    By tracking and analyzing fifty-three weeks of COVID-19 data, this thesis analyzes the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine within the State of Mississippi. My analysis demonstrates that the COVID-19 vaccine is effective not only in Mississippi but also across the globe.

    Read Ilyse Miriam Levy's Undergraduate Thesis, BA '22
  • Error and f -Divergence Analysis of Generative Adversarial Network

    In this dissertation, the focus is to investigate the convergence rates of error and estimation bounds of various f-divergence metrics in the context of generative adversarial networks (GANs).

    Read Mahmud Hasan's Dissertation, PhD '24