About

Hi, I’m Alex. I was born and raised in the Philippines. I lived there until I was 15 when I migrated to the United States with my mother and sister. I am an amateur artist, and my hobbies include painting, drawing, and playing video games. I also like cooking, eating, and traveling.

Education

• Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics | University of California Merced | 2021

  My dissertation explored the use of mathematical models to study the evolution of natural language. My dissertation was titled “Mathematical Models of Natural Language Evolution.”

  In my dissertation, I focused on three main areas:

  • Modeling word rank evolution: I developed a mathematical model to predict how the frequency of words changes over time.
  • Exploring the evolution of contextual semantics: I investigated how the meaning of words changes depending on the context in which they are used.
  • Evaluating the accuracy of reading comprehension tasks: I used machine learning to fine-tune a pre-trained language model to predict whether a human will correctly answer a reading comprehension question.

• B.S. in Mathematics | East Tennessee State University | 2015

  My undergraduate “thesis” was about stochastic modeling of spider predation movements.

There are more details about me on my Curriculum Vitae.

CV

Research

I am interested in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of mathematics and data science, particularly in mathematical modeling of natural languages, social and biological systems, and in using statistical and data-driven approaches to inform and advance knowledge in social sciences and biology.

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Teaching

I am an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the University of Portland. I primarily teach courses in calculus, ordinary differential equations, probability and statistics, applied statistics, and data science. In my courses I apply (a) student-centered learning by using a variety of instructional methods to engage students, (b) inclusive classroom by creating a safe and welcoming environment, and (c) diversified grading systems and teaching tools, such as think-pair-share activities, proficiency-based grading systems, and group work.

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