Kathleen A. Hoffman

Kathleen A. Hoffman is a Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She holds a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Maryland, College Park (1997). Her research focuses on stability theory for constrained variational problems, bifurcation theory in multi-timescale systems, neuromechanical locomotion, epidemiology, predator-prey systems, and phototransduction. She has been actively involved in interdisciplinary grants, including NSF-funded initiatives on biological modeling and quantitative education.

Her educational background includes a B.S. in Mathematics and Physics (Summa Cum Laude) from the University of New Hampshire (1991). She has held roles such as Associate Professor (2005–2011), Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park (2006–2007), and postdoctoral positions at the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) and the Institute for Physical Science and Technology.

Research interests span elastic rod mechanics, dynamical systems, and mathematical biology. Notable contributions include work on self-contact potentials in elastic rods, entrainment ranges in neural oscillators, and modeling lamprey locomotion. Her articles often intersect mechanics, nonlinear analysis, and applied mathematics.

Awarded recognition includes an illustration on the cover of the International Journal for Bifurcation and Chaos (2000). She advises graduate and undergraduate students in interdisciplinary projects, such as epidemiological models of STD transmission and predator-prey dynamics. Hoffman is also involved in initiatives to enhance quantitative education in biology and pre-med programs through grants like HHMI and UBM.

Her service includes roles in departmental leadership, NSF review panels, and outreach programs like the Summer Program for Women in Mathematics. Collaborations extend to institutions such as Princeton, JHU, and Tulane, focusing on neuromechanical systems and locomotion.