Saverio Spagnolie arrives at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an assistant professor of mathematics after a year at Brown University’s School of Engineering as a postdoctoral research associate. Before his time at the Ivy League school in Providence, Rhode Island, the Colorado native spent three years at the University of California-San Diego as a postdoctoral researcher in the school’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Spagnolie, who obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado and his master’s degree and Ph.D. from New York University, was hired with funding from the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates.
Welcome, Saverio. What are your research interests?
I am interested in solving problems related to biological propulsion, cell mechanics, and fluid-body interaction systems. I approach these problems using a number of techniques, from the application of classical methods of applied mathematics to the development of novel numerical methods.
What courses will you teach?
Mathematical Fluid Dynamics in the fall and Introduction to Probability and Markov Chain Modeling and Techniques in Ordinary Differential Equations in the spring.
What can students expect in the classroom?
To be engaged and challenged, intellectually and otherwise. I want students exiting my classroom to be better prepared to think critically and on their feet in every aspect of their lives, and I think this can only be achieved with practice. While we will be talking about mathematics in the classroom, often we will really be talking about how to engage reality with a more rigorous perspective.
What would you do if you didn’t work in mathematics?
I would love to better understand the interactions between evolution, neurology, and human psychology/behavior. In this parallel universe I will ponder such things while cooking in my restaurant in between professional tennis matches that I will fly to with my jetpack.
What did you know about Madison before coming here?
I thought we were all obsessive and addicted to the Internet by now. I knew everything about Madison before coming here.
What’s your favorite Madison experience so far?
I've been on a few spectacular bike rides, but the best moment so far was sitting out on the Memorial Union Terrace with live bluegrass playing and the sun going down over Lake Mendota, thinking of how fortunate I feel to be here.