Dr. Kristen Abernathy
- Email: abernathykwinthrop.edu
- Winthrop University
- Status: Faculty
- Department: Math,
- Will Mentor: Pre-doctoral students
Areas of Expertise
Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics,
Research Interests
functional analysis, ordinary differential equations
Bio
I graduated from Catawba College in 2004 as a Mathematics major and Biology minor. I attended Wake Forest University and earned my Masters of Arts in Mathematics in 2006. While at Wake Forest, I met my husband, Zach Abernathy. We traveled together to North Carolina State University, where we both earned our Ph.Ds. in Mathematics in 2011. We even studied under the same advisor, Dr. Jesus Rodriguez. Continuing our travels together, we were fortunate to both end up at Winthrop University as assistant professors in the mathematics department.
My research interests lie in the areas of functional analysis and ordinary differential equations. While most of my training is in pure mathematics, I have recently explored the world of applied mathematics and began working in the area of cancer biology. I enjoy bridging the worlds of pure and applied mathematics, and introducing undergraduates to areas of math not usually taught at the undergraduate level. I am also the faculty advisor for the undergraduate math club and consider myself lucky to interact with my students in a variety of settings (classroom, research, traveling to conferences, pizza parties, etc.). I love the challenge of getting everyone to appreciate the beauty of mathematics, even if they dont particularly like math.
