معرفی
Marcus Michelen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC), within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania in 2019 under Robin Pemantle and completed his undergraduate studies at The Cooper Union with a B.S.E. in General Engineering and a minor in Mathematics. He began at UIC as a postdoc in 2019 and transitioned to Assistant Professor in 2021 through the Bridge-to-Faculty program.
His research lies at the intersection of probability, combinatorics, statistical physics, and theoretical computer science, with recent work focusing on random matrices, random polynomials, sphere packing, and Gibbs point processes. He frequently uses complex- and Fourier-analytic techniques in discrete settings. His research is supported by an NSF CAREER grant (DMS-2336788) and other NSF awards.
His most recent publications explore topics such as lower bounds in Ramsey theory, root separation in random polynomials, gossip propagation via percolation, and limits in sphere packing. These works appear in top journals like the Journal of the American Mathematical Society, Probability Theory and Related Fields, and Combinatorics, Probability and Computing, reflecting a strong trend toward probabilistic methods in combinatorial and geometric problems.
- NSF CAREER Grant DMS-2336788
- Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students (2016)
- Herbert S. Wilf Memorial Award
- University of Pennsylvania Math Department Good Teaching Awards (2015, 2016)
Marcus advises one master’s student and three Ph.D. students and has mentored undergraduate research in mathematics and origami. He has taught courses ranging from Calculus III to graduate-level combinatorics and probability. He was featured in the 2024 Lathisms Calendar and has contributed to public understanding of mathematics through Quanta Magazine and La Recherche.
