Dylan Shepardson

  • Robert L. Rooke Associate Professor of Mathematics
  • Chair of Mathematics and Statistics, and Data Science
Dylan Shepardson

Dylan Shepardson works on mathematical problems that are motivated by applications in other disciplines, like biology, epidemiology, sociology, or archaeology. He is especially interested in new and unusual applications of optimization theory. In most physical, biological, and economic systems, a property is being optimized (like energy or entropy in physical systems, or reproductive success in evolutionary biology), and optimization techniques offer interesting insights into these systems. Shepardson's recent projects include voting theory and its connections to combinatorial geometry, infectious disease modeling, and the problem of using collections of radiocarbon data to estimate dates of the earliest human settlements of Pacific islands.

Education

  • Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology
  • M.A., University of California - Berkeley
  • B.A., Amherst College

HAPPENING AT MOUNT HOLYOKE

Recent Campus News

New evidence from old pictures has reignited the search for volcanism on Venus, but the VERITAS mission is expected to reveal the truth, says Mount Holyoke’s Darby Dyar.

A startup is attempting to combat climate change by seeding the skies with sulfur dioxide–filled balloons. Mount Holyoke’s Kevin Surprise says scientists think the venture is full of holes.

An anti-liberty, pro-religion Texas-based judge is poised to ban the abortion pill. Mount Holyoke’s Joanna Wuest talked to Texas Monthly about it.

Recent Grants

Margaret Robinson PI with Co-PIs Giuliana Davidoff, Dylan Shepardson and Jessica Sidman (Mathematics) received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for “Collaborative Proposal: Hudson River Undergraduate Mathematics Conference 2020-2022” – with Keene and Siena Colleges. The project is for three years.

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