Dr. Nancy Rodriguez, University of Colorado Boulder
Abstract: In this talk I will discuss how we can use partial differential equation models to gain insight into complex social, ecological, and biological phenomena. We will see how we can use the framework of partial differential equations to encompass many types of phenomena when we are interested in studying global structures, such as the dynamics of a population versus an individual. We will look at applications in urban crime, social outburst of activity, territory formations in ecology. We explore various important mathematical questions from the point of view of the applications and discuss the limitation of our framework.
Bio: I am an Assistant Professor in applied mathematics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. I received my Ph.D. from UCLA under the guidance of Andrea Bertozzi. I was an NSF postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University from 2011-2014. My research focuses on nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs), in particular those with applications to urban crime, segregation, biological aggregation, chemotaxis, and ecology. Fundamentally, I am interested in the mathematical modeling and the use of numerical and mathematical analysis to shed light into social, biological, and ecological systems. I have contributed to the advancement of the theory for non-local PDEs and have brought insight into crime propagation and prevention, social segregation, and pest-control. I love biking, hiking, skiing, and anything that allows me to be outside.