In this newsletter, you’ll hear about the exciting events at the Computational Neuroscience Center and about conferences sponsored by the department. You’ll also hear alumni stories — one about AMATH PhD alum Donsub Rim returning to UW for his sabbatical, an industry perspective from another AMATH PhD alum Ben Lansdell, and a tale of travel and study from MS alum Johan Azambou. We will take a to

AI is on all of our minds, and that is no accident -- effective AI systems are based on neural network wiring mechanisms derived from the biological brain. Indeed, computer science and circuit level neuroscience have been called “twins separated at birth” by Google VP (and CNC affiliate theorist) Blaise Aguera y Arcas. The twins are meeting again -- and we’ve discovered that it may well be tripl

During the academic year 2024–2025, I had the opportunity to return to the University of Washington (UW). My home institution, Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), grants its Arts and Sciences faculty an early sabbatical after their first three years. I decided to spend the year in Seattle: my wife was about to begin her job here, and I still had several active projects with my PhD advisor,

Doing a PhD is a challenge in many ways: late nights, lots of coursework, a certain pervasive "academic guilt" – the feeling that there's always more papers to read, simulations to run, and code to write. And, what can be most challenging, dealing with the uncertainties, frustrations and doubts that come with trying to advance novel research questions. I enjoyed my time thoroughly while I was a Ph

I was born and raised in Buea, Cameroon, a small town tucked on the slope of Mount Cameroon, about 3,000 feet above sea level. It’s where I completed all my secondary education before moving to the U.S. Unlike many people, I never had trouble figuring out what I wanted to study. From a young age, I knew I wanted to major in mathematics. Besides P.E., it was the only class I truly enjoyed because,

I have been telling stories for as long as I can remember. In kindergarten, I would piece together picture books made from construction paper and parade them proudly as award-worthy works of art. Over time, that love grew into a passion for writing novels.

Welcome back to a new academic year and a fresh quarter! As I write this on a beautiful autumn afternoon, I am delighted to share my experiences over the last year in the Applied Math Department at UW and to offer some of my thoughts on the breadth and depth of applied mathematics.

Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great summer and the transition into fall is going well. I’ve personally been enjoying the grey and drizzly skies recently here in Seattle; something about bleak weather is so cozy and fall-coded. As the new academic year starts off, I’ve been reflecting on my first year as a Ph.D. student in the Applied Math Department at UW.

I started my position as a graduate program advisor in March of this year. I had recently moved back to Seattle (my hometown) after living in the near permanently summer city of Lisbon, Portugal. Luckily, my return to Seattle evolved into a welcoming position with Applied Mathematics. In the past I’ve worked with dance students, theater students, and music students.

The Second Conference on Random Matrix Theory and Numerical Linear AlgebraScientists and mathematicians met at the University of Washington during the week of June 16, 2025 for the Second Conference on Random Matrix Theory and Numerical Linear Algebra (RMT + NLA II). The event (co-organized by Tom Trogdon and Xuicai Ding (UC Davis)) brought together experts studying random matrix theory and exploring how it can help solve…

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