معرفی
Malavika Mukundan is a Research Fellow and Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Boston University. Previously, she held a PPFP Postdoctoral Fellowship at UCLA and completed her PhD at the University of Michigan (2024) under Sarah Koch. She earned her undergraduate degree from the Chennai Mathematical Institute in India. Her research focuses on holomorphic dynamics, Teichmüller theory, and algorithmic fairness in voting systems like ranked choice and Borda. She co-organizes the BU Dynamical Systems seminar and contributes to interdisciplinary projects in social choice theory.
Education:
- PhD in Mathematics, University of Michigan, 2024
- Bachelor’s Degree, Chennai Mathematical Institute, India
Research Interests: Her work bridges complex dynamics and social choice, with recent emphasis on transcendental Thurston theory and geometric fairness in voting systems. She employs tools from topology, complex analysis, and computational methods to study dynamical systems and voting mechanisms. Current projects include approximating transcendental maps via rational dynamics and analyzing random ranked ballots.
Recent Trends in Articles: Her publications span complex dynamics (e.g., transcendental maps, Thurston pullbacks) and social choice (e.g., VoteKit software for voting analysis). Recent work explores connections between geometric structures in dynamical systems and fair voting algorithms.
Awards:
- PPFP Postdoctoral Fellowship, UCLA
- Lauter Program Associate, MSRI
Advising & Grants: Mentors in the BIG Ideas in Dynamics program and contributed to the MGGG Redistricting Lab (Tufts). Her work is supported by fellowships and institutional grants.
Labs/Teams: Collaborates with Ryan Goh, Montie Avery, and the BU Dynamical Systems group. Active in interdisciplinary initiatives like the MSRI Algorithms, Fairness, and Equity program.
