Sarah Cassie BurnettView profile
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Sarah Cassie Burnett is a Hedrick Assistant Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Department of Mathematics. Her research focuses on fluid dynamics, machine learning, and data assimilation, with emphasis on experimental and computational studies of geophysical fluid dynamics, particularly in the context of the Three-Meter Spherical Couette experiment. She holds a PhD from the University of Maryland and has conducted post-baccalaureate research at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Her work integrates numerical methods, nonlinear modeling, and experimental validation in dynamo flows and particle-laden systems. Education: B.S. in Applied Math and B.A. in Physics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (summa cum laude). PhD in Applied Mathematics, Statistics, and Scientific Computing from University of Maryland. Post-baccalaureate studies at Los Alamos National Laboratory and research collaborations at ISTerre (Grenoble, France) and Lathrop Lab. Research interests include: computational fluid dynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, granular flow modeling, and data-driven approaches for geophysical systems. She has pioneered studies on particle-laden thin-film flows, bidisperse system separation, and dynamo experiments simulating Earth's core dynamics. Recent work emphasizes fluid dynamics visualization through the APS Gallery of Fluid Motion and explores instrumentation optimization for spherical Couette experiments. Teaching includes programming courses (PIC series) and applied mathematics modules at UCLA. Awards: NSF Graduate Fellowship, L'Oréal For Women in STEM Postdoc Fellowship, George A. Snow Memorial Award Outreach: Directed Girls Talk Math summer program at UMD, promoting STEM equity through media and mentorship Grants: NSF GROW Award, Wylie Dissertation Fellowship Labs/Teams: Principal researcher in UCLA Mathematics Department's fluid dynamics group. Collaborator with Lathrop Nonlinear Dynamics Lab and ISTerre.





