Graduate Students

Mackenzie Cates earned her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Central Florida in 2022. She is currently pursuing a M.A. degree in Elementary Education. She plans on being an elementary school teacher upon graduation. This is her first year working with EXCEL.

My name is Deepa Shah, and I am a second year MS. Biotechnology Thesis track student in Self Lab at UCF. In 2020, I graduated with Bachelors in Pharmacy from University of Mumbai, India. My research and professional interest lie in nanomaterials and their application in finding a cure for Clostridioides difficile-related infections. With a…

Michael received his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Scranton in 2011; he received his Masters of Science in Pure Mathematics, with Distinction, from DePaul University in 2020; he is currently in his third year of the Pure Math PhD Program at UCF, with an interest in Discrete Mathematics. From 2011 through…

Jingxi Liao is a PhD student at University of Central Florida. His major is mathematics with financial math track.  He earned a bachelor degree in actuarial science at University of Connecticut and master degree in statistics at Columbia University. His research interest is in optimal control that concentrate on different kinds of financial products, such as…

Matthew Kyle is a fourth-year student in the Mathematics PhD program. Although working with EXCEL for the first time, he has been a graduate teaching assistant in calculus and differential equations for years. His main research interests are graph theory, number theory, and bioinformatics.

Alexa achieved a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Central Florida in 2023 and is now in her first year of graduate school pursuing a M.S. in Mathematical Science on the Financial Mathematics track. During her undergraduate studies, she worked in the Mathematics Assistance and Learning Lab as a learning assistant where her passion for helping…

Earned Bachelor’s in Mathematics and Minor in Computer Science at UCF, now First-year graduate student majoring in Mathematics.

Elijah Cadenhead obtained a B.S. in Mathematics at UF and M.S. at UCF. This will be his third year as a Ph.D. student and his first year in the EXCEL program. His research interests are deep learning and analysis. He was born and raised in Saint Augustine, Florida.

I got my Bachelor’s in Physics / Applied Mathematics (double major) in 2019 from Florida Institute of Technology, and I’m currently a PhD student in mathematics at UCF.

Al-Muthanna “Al” Al-Ani is continuing his education with the University of Central Florida pursuing an M.S. in mechanical engineering on the mechanical systems track.  With a love for teaching he wants to help other succeed in their major and become advocates for the next generation.

Xuyan earned her M.S in Financial Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. She is in the Mathematical Ph.D. program ( Financial Math Track) of UCF. Her research interest lies in  Stochastic Control and Mathematical Finance problems.

Killian had received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics with a minor in Chemistry from Nova Southeastern University in 2021. He is currently a first year Ph.D. student in the university’s Mathematics Department. While pursuant in the field of applied mathematics, he expresses interest and active training in physical sciences. His research interests lie…

Gayathri is in the mathematics Ph.D. program at UCF. This is her second year with EXCEL and third year helping with Calculus. Her interests lie in analysis and applied mathematics.

Killian Muollo obtained a B.S. in Mathematics and a B.A. in Political Science from UCF in 2018, as well as an M.S. in Mathematics in 2021. This will be his fourth year as a Ph.D. student in the university’s Mathematics department and his third in the EXCEL/COMPASS program . His research interests lie in the intersection of the hard…

Tiffany got her Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts and Sciences with concentrations in Mathematics and English Literature from Florida Atlantic University in 2014. She is in the Mathematics PhD program of UCF. She wrote her undergraduate thesis on mathematical structures of poetry.