Professional Experience

Ph.D. in Mathematics, Michigan State University, MI, 2007. Advisor: Ronald Fintushel.

Academic employment

  • Professor. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 2022—present.
  • Associate Professor. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 2017—2022.
  • Assistant Professor. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 2013—2017.
  • W2 Research Associate Professor. Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, Bonn, Germany, 2011—2013.
  • Postdoctoral Instructor. Department of Mathematics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 2008—2011.
  • Visiting Ritt Assistant Professor. Department of Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, NY, 2007.

Grants and fellowships

  • National Science Foundation S-STEM Grant: "Enhancing underrepresented participation in mathematics and statistics", PIs: R. Inanc Baykur, Adena Calden, Maryclare Griffin (lead), Farshid Hajir, Nathaniel Whitaker. DMS-2130262. Award amount: $1,499,774. 2022--2028.
  • National Science Foundation Grant: "Geometry and topology of 4-manifolds", PI: R. Inanc Baykur. DMS-2005327. Award amount: $284,129. 2020--2024.
  • Simons Foundation Collaboration Grant. Award amount: $42,000. 2019--2024.
  • National Science Foundation Grant: "Perspectives in topology and geometry of 4-manifolds", PIs: R. Inanc Baykur, Thomas Mark, Gordana Matic (lead). DMS-1612071. Award amount: $46,100. 2016--2018.
  • National Science Foundation Grant: "Topology of smooth and symplectic 4-manifolds", PI: R. Inanc Baykur. DMS-1510395. Award amount: $178,561. 2015--2019.
  • National Science Foundation Grant: "Northeast Conferences on Geometry and Topology of 4-manifolds", PIs: R. Inanc Baykur (lead), Weimin Chen. DMS-1522633. Award amount: $49,700. 2015--2018.
  • Simons Foundation Collaboration Grant. Award amount: $35,000. 2014--2019.
  • American Institute of Mathematics SQuaRE Grant: "Symplectic and contact geometry and mapping class groups". 2014--2016.
  • UMass Faculty Research Grant: "Interactions between low dimensional topology and mapping class groups". Award amount: $10,000. Summer 2014.
  • UMass Flex Teaching Award (11 times). 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.
  • National Science Foundation Research Grant: "Geometry and Topology of Smooth 4-manifolds", PI: R. Inanc Baykur. DMS-0906912. Award amount: $121,512. 2009--2013.
  • Mathematical Sciences Research Institute Program Membership, Berkeley, CA. Spring 2010.
  • Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques Research Fellowship, Bures-sur-Yvette, France. Summer 2009 and Summer 2011.
  • Max Planck Institute Research Fellowship, Bonn, Germany. Spring and Summer 2008.
  • Institute for Advanced Study Program Membership, Princeton, NJ. Summer 2005.

Service activities

  • Conference, workshop, and seminar organizer
    - Geometry and Topology Seminar (co-organizer). UMass Amherst, Spring 2014--present.
    - Reading Seminar on Automorphism Groups of Manifolds (co-organizer). UMass Amherst, Fall 2023--Spring 2024.
    - K3: A new problem list in low-dimensional topology (co-organizer). AIM, October 30-November 3, 2023.
    - Workshop on "Braids in symplectic and algebraic geometry" (co-organizer). ICERM, March 21-25, 2021.
    - Conference on "Knotted surfaces in 4-manifolds" (co-organizer). Amherst, October 26-28, 2018.
    - Conference on "Geometric structures on 3- and 4-manifolds" (co-organizer). Dubrovnik, June 11-15, 2018.
    - Conference on "Floer homologies and topology of 4-manifolds" (co-organizer). Amherst, April 8-9, 2017.
    - Conference on "Perspectives in topology and geometry of 4-manifolds" (co-organizer). Dubrovnik, June 6-10, 2016.
    - Conference on "Geometry and topology of symplectic 4-manifolds" (co-organizer). Amherst, April 24-26, 2015.
    - Algebraic and Geometric Topology Workshop (co-organizer). METU, Ankara, January 9-10, 2015.
    - Workshop on "Group actions on smooth 4-manifolds" (co-organizer). Amherst, October 25-26, 2013.
    - Workshop on "Geometry and topology of smooth 4-manifolds" (co-organizer). Bonn, June 3-7, 2013.
    - Conference on "Low dimensional topology and mapping class groups" (co-organizer). Bonn, July 1-5, 2013.
    - Geometric-Topology Seminar (co-organizer). Bonn, Fall 2011--Spring 2013.
    - Joint Brandeis-Harvard-MIT-Northeastern Colloquium (co-organizer). Boston, Fall 2010--Spring 2011.
    - Topology Seminar (co-organizer). Brandeis University, Fall 2010--Spring 2011.
    - Graduate Geometry and Topology Seminar. MSU, Fall 2003--Spring 2006.
  • Mentoring
    - Postdocs:  Nathan Sunukjian (2014--2016) → TT at Calvin College,  Jonathan Simone (2018-2021) → Postdoc at Georgia Tech,  Noriyuki Hamada (2017-2022) → Assistant Professor at Kyushu University.
    - Ph.D. students:  Andrew Havens (2021) → TT lecturer at UMass Amherst, Richard Buckman (2023) → Lecturer at UMass Amherst , Mihail Arabadji, Porter Morgan (current).
    - Exchange Ph.D. student:  Kenta Hayano (Max Planck, 2012) → TT at Hokkaido University.
    - REU students: Ben Burns (UMass, 2022), Vivek Chakrabhavi (UMass, 2021), Andrew Sharp (UMass, 2018),  Kai Nakamura (UMass, 2017),  Feride Ceren Kose (Max Planck, 2013).
    - Capstone thesis student: Kai Nakamura (UMass, 2018) → Ph.D. student at UT Austin.
    - Capstone thesis committee member for: Cristian Rodriguez (UMass, 2017).
    - Committee member of the Ph.D. thesis of: Mark Radosevich (Brandeis, 2010), Thomas Shelly (UMass, 2016), Mark Lowell (UMass, 2017), Andrew Havens (UMass, 2021), Richard Buckman (UMass, 2023), Sean Hart (UMass, 2023), Arthur Wang (UMass, 2024).
    - Oral exam committee member for Ph.D. candidates Anna Vijayan, Matt Graham (Brandeis), Mihail Arabadji, Porter Morgan, Sophia Marx (UMass Amherst).
    - Faculty mentor at the American Institute of Mathematics Research Community in 4-Manifolds (Spring 2021).
  • Referee
    Advances in Geometry, Advances in Mathematics, Algebraic & Geometric Topology, Annals of Mathematics, Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society, Commentarii Mathematici Helvetici, Communications in Analysis and Geometry, Expositiones Mathematicae, Geometry & Topology, Geometry & Topology Monographs, Glasgow Mathematical Journal, Hiroshima Mathematical Journal, International Journal of Mathematics, International Mathematics Research Notices, Inventiones Mathematicae, Journal für die Reine und Angewandte Mathematik, Journal of Differential Geometry, Journal of Knot Theory and Its Ramifications, Journal of Symplectic Geometry, Journal of the London Mathematical Society, Journal of the Mathematical Society of Japan, Journal of Topology, Journal of Topology and Analysis, Manuscripta Mathematica, Mathematical Physics, Analysis and Geometry, Mathematical Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, Mathematical Research Letters, Mediterranean Journal of Mathematics, Michigan Mathematical Journal, Nagoya Mathematical Journal, New York Journal of Mathematics, Open Book Series, Pacific Journal of Mathematics, Proceedings of Gökova Geometry-Topology Conference, Proceedings of Symposia in Pure Mathematics, Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society, Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), Quantum Topology, Quarterly Journal of Mathematics, Rocky Mountain Journal of Mathematics, Tokyo Journal of Mathematics, Topology and Its Applications, Transactions of the American Mathematical Society, Transactions of the London Mathematical Society, Turkish Journal of Mathematics.
  • Reviewer
    - National Science Foundation Grant Panel
    - AMS Mathematical Reviews