Location
LGRT 1424

Professor Whitaker's recent research involves problems in math biology such as modeling visual phosphenes and tumor growth.  He also has worked on the models for the nephron the basic functional unit of the kidney. These models simulate the processing of sodium in the kidney. These problems are typically described by systems of differential equations which Professor Whitaker solves using a variety of numerical methods. These methods include finite difference, spectral and numerical continuation methods. Professor Whitaker also works in fluid mechanics. He has worked on multiphase flow in a Hele-Shaw cell. He also looks at models for two-dimensional turbulence using methods in statistical mechanics.

Education

Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 1987

M.S. University of Cincinnati, 1981

B.A. Hampton Institute, 1974

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Fluid Mechanics, Math Biology, Numerical Analysis

Selected Publications

  • Evaluating the robustness of rogue waves under perturbations, Physics Letters A383, p2584 ( with C Ward and PG Kevrekidis) (2019)
  • A Numerical Bifurcation Analysis of a Dryland Vegetation Model, Communications in nonlinear science and numerical simulation68, p319 (with C Ward, PG Kevrekidis) (2019)
  • Traveling Wave Solutions in a Chain of Periodically Forced Coupled Nonlinear Oscillators, Physica D325, p25 (with M. Duanmu, P. Kevrekidis, A Vainchtein, J. Rubin) (2016)
  • Modeling foundation species in food webs, Ecosphere4, p146(with B.Baiser and A. Ellison)(2013).
  • A minimal model for tumor angiogenesis, Physical Review E73, p061926 (2006) (with P.G. Kevrekidis G. Herring and D.J. Good), Paper featured in Virtual Journal of Biological Physical Research
  • Solitary waves in discrete media with four-wave mixing, Physical Review E73, p.066601 (2006) (with P.G. Kevrekidis and R. Horne)
  • On the effect of backleak in nephron dynamics, Physical Review E67, p.061911 (2003) (with P.G. Kevrekidis), Paper featured in Virtual Journal of Biological Research
  • Statistical equilibrium solutions of coherent structures in turbulent shear layers, SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing17,pp.1414-1433 (1996) (with B. Turkington)
  • Some numerical methods for the Hele-Shaw equations, Journal of Computational Physics, 111, pp.81-88 (1994)
  • A modeling approach to chromatin compaction featuring linker variability. generation of fibers that mimic the native structures, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 90, pp.9021-5 (1993) (with C. Woodcock, S. Grigoryev and R. Horowitz)