Dr. Sarah Percival, Math and Statistics

Name:

Dr. Sarah Percival

Title:

Assistant Professor

Department:

Math and Statistics

Describe your research in about 200 words.

My research is in the area of applied topology, also known as topological data analysis (TDA), studying both theoretical and applied problems in the field. As collections of data grow in size, it is increasingly important to have a way to efficiently analyze data. Applied topology uses concepts from the mathematical field of topology, such as homology, to not only efficiently examine large data sets, but to make inferences related to the “shape” of data. In my research, I study both topological data analysis and computational topology, combining theoretical advances in the former with the practical applications of the latter. I am particularly interested in applications to biology, because the shape of biological structures, from proteins to leaves, plays an important role in their function.

What’s the most interesting thing you have learned from a student?

My students taught me an interesting algorithm to do integration by parts. Not only did I learn a new way to compute these integrals, but I learned that even if I have a lot of experience teaching something, I can still learn new things too.