Katharine Long
Professor
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Texas Tech University
Contact: katharine DOT long AT ttu DOT edu
Phone: I don't have an office phone. This is the 21st century. Use email.
I'm an applied mathematician who works in scientific computing and mathematical modeling applied to physics, biology, engineering, and medicine.
Currently I work primarily on inverse problems and uncertainty quantification for medical applications of infrared thermography, implicit Runge-Kutta time integrators for partial differential equations, high level finite element software for enabling intrusive algorithms, and analysis of structural sensitivity in nonlinear dynamics.
I occasionally dabble in astrophysics, especially galactic dynamics.
Common themes in nearly all of my work have been numerical solution of partial and ordinary differential equations, numerical optimization, uncertainty quantification, and high-performance computing.
You can find some of my papers at ResearchGate and at Google Scholar. Along with research, I very much enjoy teaching and mentoring research students.
Stuff about me
- Work
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Texas Tech (2007-present)
- Computational Science and Mathematics Research Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore CA (1998-2007)
- Research Staff, Beam Technologies, Ithaca NY (1996-1998)
- Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, SUNY at Brockport (1992-1995)
- Postdoc, Department of Physics, UMass Amherst (1990-1992)
- Education
- PhD in Astrophysics, Princeton University (1990)
- Thesis: Kinematics and Dynamics of Barred Galaxies, with advisor David Spergel
- BS with High Honors in Astronomy, University of Maryland (1986)
- Thesis: Tidal Disruption of Open Star Clusters in their Parent Molecular Clouds, with advisor Leo Blitz
- Coursework at Prince George's Community College (1981-82)
- Miscellaneous
- I have a long-term collaboration with Victoria Howle on solutions to the professional two-body problem.
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I'm a member of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics , the Association for Women in Mathematics, and Spectra, the association for LGBTQ+ mathematicians
- I'm a native of Maryland, and lived for a long time in Northern California. I miss the museums, the hills, the Atlantic and the Pacific, the Chesapeake Bay and the San Francisco Bay, but I sure don't miss the traffic and the crowds.
- Interests outside of science include woodworking and history (especially late antiuity, early modern Europe, and 20th century naval warfare).
- As a lifelong fan of the Washington Capitals I have become well prepared for life's disappointments punctuated by the occasional happy moments.