Ben Coté

Ben Coté serves as an Assistant Professor in the Mathematics Department at Western Oregon University (WOU), teaching diverse mathematics courses including specialized instruction for future educators. Originally from Issaquah, Washington, he has established his academic career in Oregon's Willamette Valley after extensive educational experiences across the United States and Europe.

His academic foundation includes undergraduate studies at the University of Idaho in the Palouse region, a formative year abroad through the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program along the Danube River, and six years of graduate education at the University of California, Santa Barbara. This journey culminated in doctoral research that shaped his current scholarly direction.

Dr. Coté's research program centers on geometric and combinatorial group theory, specifically investigating the fundamental group of complements of complex reflection arrangements. His scholarly interests span Artin groups, Coxeter groups, hyperplane arrangements, braid groups, orbifolds, Garside structures, and orthoschemes, bridging algebraic, geometric, and topological perspectives in modern mathematics.

His collaborative work with Jon McCammond on complex euclidean reflection groups exemplifies his contributions to understanding intricate algebraic structures and their topological implications, reflecting ongoing engagement with foundational questions in geometric group theory.