Short C.V. for J. Maurice Rojas (Last Updated February 5, 2009)

Biographical Information

Address

TAMU 3368 Department of Mathematics
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas 77843-3368.
Tel: (979) 845-2083
FAX: (979) 845-6028
e-mail: rojas@math.tamu.edu

Education

• Ph.D., Applied Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley, 1995; Steve Smale, advisor.
• C. Phil., Applied Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley, 1993.
• M.S., Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, 1991; John Canny, advisor.
• M.A., Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley, 1991.
• B.S., Mathematics/Applied Science, University of California, Los Angeles, 1988.

Research Interests:

Algorithmic Algebraic Geometry, Algorithmic Number Theory, Polyhedral Combinatorics, Complexity Theory, Scientific Computation, Cryptology, Bioinformatics

Current Position

Professor, Department of Mathematics, Texas A&M University, September 2007 - Present

Previous Positions

• Consultant, Viz and Scientific Computation Group, Sandia National Laboratories, Dec. '08
• Consultant, Combustion Research Facility, Sandia National Laboratories, Aug. & Dec. '07
• Workshop Organizer and Visiting Member, Institute for Mathematics and its Applications, Minneapolis, MN, Apr.-May '07
• JAMI Visiting Professor, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, Mar. '07
• Consultant, Computational Biology Group, CCIM Center, Sandia National Laboratories Oct.-Nov. '05
• Associate Professor (tenured), Department of Mathematics, Texas A&M University, Sep. 2004 - Aug. 2007
• JAMI Visiting Member, Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, Apr. '04
• Visiting Professor, Johns Hopkins University, Mar. '04
• New Directions Cellular Physiology Course Participant, Institute for Mathematics and its Applications, Jun. '03
• Assistant Professor, Tenure Track, Department of Mathematics, Texas A&M University, Jan. '01 - Aug. '04
• National Science Foundation Postsdoctoral Fellow and Applied Mathematics Instructor, MIT, Fall '96 - Fall '97 and Fall '95 (mentor: Alan Edelman)
• National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, MSRI (Berkeley), Spring 1996
• Visiting Professor Appointments: City University of Hong Kong (Jan. '98 - Jan. '01, May '96) and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain, Fall '94)
• Summer Research Mathematician: MIT Lincoln Laboratories (Lexington, Mass.) in '97; AT&T Bell Laboratories (Murray Hill, NJ in '95 and Naperville, IL in '93); NAWCAD (Office of Naval Research, Warminster, Pennsylvania) in '96 and '95; IBM T. J. Watson Research Center (Yorktown Heights, NY) in '94; Center for Communications Research (Princeton, NJ) in '92
• Chateaubriand Fellow (mentor: Marie-Francoise Roy), IRMAR, Universite de Rennes I, France, Spring '95

Grants and Awards (Rojas is the principal investigator unless otherwise noted)

NSF CAREER Award DMS-0349309: ``Complexity, Reality, and Rationality in Large Nonlinear Equations Solving'', $400000, 2004-2009. (One of 11 awarded in mathematics in 2004).

Senior Personnel on NSF REU grant (DMS-0850470), $314600, 2009-2012.

Senior Personnel on NSF REU grant (DMS-0552610), $398400, 2006-2009.

Consultant on Texas MTC Grant: Curriculum Alignment, $10000, 2006-2007.

National Science Foundation grants before 2005: DMS-0211458 (individual), supplement to DMS-0211458, CARGO grant (DMS-0138446, co-PI with John Keyser), CBMS Conference grant (co-PI with Paulo Lima-Filho and Hal Schenck)

Journal of Complexity 2000 Best Paper Award, (for "Some Speed-Ups and Speed Limits in Real Algebraic Geometry"), awarded at FoCM 2002 (University of Minnesota), Aug. 6, 2002.

Please click HERE for my Publications List

Students Advised

Rusek, Korben (Ph.D., Mathematics), Fall 2007 - Present

Ibrahim, Ashraf (Ph.D., Mathematics), Spring 2006 - Present

Sethuraman, Swami (Ph.D., Mathematics), Spring 2003 - Present

Kyriopolos, Theodoros (Ph.D., Mathematics), Spring 2004 - Present

Advised in 2005 or earlier: Michael Muzheve (M.S. Mathematics, Dec. 2005); Casey Stella (M.S. Mathematics, May 2005); Jennifer Dieringer (Mathematics, B.S.); Brian Worthen (Mathematics, B.S.); Robert Bliss (Biochemistry, B.S., co-advised with Dr. Jerry Tsai); Brad Holmes (Biochemistry, B.S., co-advised with Dr. Jerry Tsai)

Selected Talks

Some Invited Seminar Talks (complete list on full CV)

``Hilbert's 10th Problem in Low Dimensions,'' University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Nov. 21, 2008

``ABCs of Real Algebraic Geometry,'' colloquium, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Nov. 20, 2008

``ABCs of Real Algorithmic Geometry,'' colloquium, Center for Communications Research, Institute for Defense Analyses, Princeton, NJ, Oct. 24, 2008

``Unifying Algorithms for Real and p-adic Geometry,'' special seminar, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Aug. 15, 2008

1 Week Invited Undergraduate Course on Algorithic Fewnomial Theory, July 7-11, 2008, Institute for Advanced Study - Park City Mathematics Institute, Park City, Utah

``A Number-Theoretic Approach to the P vs. NP Problem II: Short Interval Estimates and Complex Roots,'' Number Theory Seminar, Texas A&M University, Jan. 30, 2008.

``A Number-Theoretic Approach to the P vs. NP Problem I,'' Number Theory Seminar, Texas A&M University, Jan. 23, 2008.

``Most Hard Equations are Easy,'' invited mathematics colloquium, University of Houston, November 28, 2007.

``Torsion Points and Algorithmic Fewnomial Theory,'' Number Theory Seminar, Univeristy of Texas at Austin, September 27, 2007.

``Efficient Polynomial System Solving: An Introduction,'' invited series of 10 talks, Sandia National Laboratories, Combustion Research Facility, Livermore, California, August 8-12, 2007.

``Random Polynomial Systems and Balanced Metrics on Toric Varieties,'' algebraic geometry seminar, Institute for Mathematics and its Applications, July 27, 2007.

``The Complete Fewnomial Conjecture,'' algebraic geometry seminar, University of Chicago, May 9, 2007.

``Feasibility of Complex Equations and Primes in Arithmetic Progressions,'' computer science seminar, University of Wisconsin, May 7, 2007.

``Large Chambers, Discriminants, and Fewnomials,'' invited series of 3 talks, Johns Hopkins University, March 21, 22, 27.

``The Complete Fewnomial Conjecture,'' geometry seminar, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, March 20, 2007.

``On the Effectiveness of Number Theory in Algorithmic Geometry,'' Algebra Seminar, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado, August 24, 2006.

``Extremal Real Algebraic Geometry'', Applied Mathematics Seminar, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado, August 22, 2006.

``Interpolating Between Quantum and Classical Complexity'', NEC Research Laboratories, Princeton, New Jersey, May 18, 2006.

Talks during 2005 and earlier delivered at institutions including the following: Sandia National Laboratories (Nov. 15, 2005); Los Alamos National Laboratories (Nov. 13, 2005); University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, Nov. 8, Nov. 2, and Oct. 26, 2005); Princeton University (Feb. 4, 2003).

Some Research Conference Talks

``Randomization and Discriminant Chambers,'' joint AMS/SMB meeting, Rio de Janeiro, June 4-8, 2008

``Sharper, High Probability Bounds for Real Fewnomial Zero Sets,'' Enumeration and bounds in real algebraic geometry, April 21--26, 2008

``Most Hard Equations are Easy,'' Introductory Talk, Modern Mathematics Workshop, Kansas City, Missouri, October 11, 2007

``P=NP, Optimization, and Algebraic Geometry,'' IMA summer school in algebraic geometry, Texas A&M University, July 27, 2007.

``Discriminants and New Real Topological Complexity Bounds,'' poster session on Non-linear Computational Geometry, Institute for Mathematics and its Applications, Minnesotta, May 29, 2007.

``A Critical Radius for Low Complexity,'' Workshop on Complexity, Coding, and Communication, Institute for Mathematics and its Applications, Minnesotta, April 20, 2007.

``On the Effectiveness of Number Theory in Algebraic Geometry'', Algorithms in Algebraic Geometry Workshop, Institute for Mathematics and its Applications, Minnesotta, September 20, 2006.

``Understanding Polynomial Equations: Complexity and Reality'', two invited plenary lectures, Midatlantic Algebra Conference, James Madison University, Virginia, April 29-30, 2006.

``Basic Tropicalia (or, How to Use Polyhedra to Understand Polynomials)'', Workshop on Random Analytic Functions and Surfaces, American Institute of Mathematics, January 16, 2006.

Talks during 2005 and earlier delivered at conferences including the following: Quantum Computing Conference (Texas A&M University, Nov. 11, 2005); MEGA (Effective Methods in Algebraic Geometry, 2005, Sardinia, Italy, May 27, 2005); Workshop on Resolution of Singularities, Factorization of Birational Mappings, and Toroidal Geometry (Banff International Research Station, Dec. 12, 2004); Workshop on Algorithmic, Combinatorial, and Applicable Real Algebraic Geometry (Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, April 12, 2004); SIAM Conference on Geometric Design and Computing (Seattle, Washington, Nov. 10-13, 2003)

Outreach Talks

``Codes and Numbers,'' mathematics enrichment demonstration, 1st - 4th grade classes, Aggieland Country School, College Station, October 25, 2007.

``Lines and Space,'' mathematics enrichment demonstration, 1st - 4th grade classes, Aggieland Country School, College Station, Texas, Dec. 10, 2006.

``Robots and Polynomials,'' invited talk, Texas A&M Mathematics Contest, October 28, 2006.

``Optimization and High School Geometry,'' invited talk, State of Texas MTC curriculum planning meeting, Sep. 30, 2006

``From Pick's Theorem to Euler Characteristic,'' 3 hour interactive course for SEEMATH middle-school students (co-taught with Prof. Paulo Lima-Filho), Texas A&M University, June 22-23, 2006.

``Distances and Angles,'' mathematics enrichment demonstration, 1st - 4th grade classes, Aggieland Country School, College Station, Texas, May 15, 2006.

``Believe it or Prove it,'' expository talk, delivered to 8 pre-calculus classes at Bryan High School, Bryan, Texas, May 5, 2006.

Software

• HKPLOT: Visualizing A-Discriminants for generic (n+3)-sets in Z^n.
• AMOEBA: Visualizing the zero sets of bivariate polynomials over non-Archimedean complete fields (co-authored with Zhigang Zhang).

Activities

Summer REU Instructor 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004

Reviewer for AMS MathSciNet, Sept. 2005 - Present

Panelist for the NSF: 2008, 2002-2006

Reviewer for NSF/FONDECYT Program: 2008

Reviewer for NSF/CONICYT Program: 2006

Reviewer for NSF Proposals: 2004-Present

Reviewer for DOE Proposal: 2005

Referee for various journals and international conferences, including Algebra and Number Theory, Advances in Applied Mathematics, Computational Complexity, Discrete and Computational Geometry, Duke Mathematical Journal, Foundations of Computational Mathematics, Journal of the AMS, Journal of Symbolic Computation, ISSAC 2008, MEGA 2007, MEGA 2005, CSR 2007, and FoCM 2005.

This C.V. was last updated on Feb. 5, 2009.