Nathaniel Whitaker

Professor and Department Head

Department Head

Personal Webpage

Office:

LGRT 1424

Phone:

413-545-1572

Email:

Education

Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 1987
M.S. University of Cincinnati, 1981
B.A. Hampton Institute, 1974

Mailing Address

Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Lederle Graduate Research Tower
University of Massachusetts
710 N. Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA 01003-9305

Research Interests

Fluid Mechanics, Math Biology, Numerical Analysis

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.

Selected Publications

Evaluating the robustness of rogue waves under perturbations, Physics Letters A, 383, p2584 ( with C Ward and PG Kevrekidis) (2019)

A Numerical Bifurcation Analysis of a Dryland Vegetation Model, Communications in nonlinear science and numerical simulation, 68, p319 (with C Ward, PG Kevrekidis) (2019)

Traveling Wave Solutions in a Chain of Periodically Forced Coupled Nonlinear Oscillators, Physica D, 325, p25 (with M. Duanmu, P. Kevrekidis, A Vainchtein, J. Rubin) (2016)

Modeling foundation species in food webs, Ecosphere, 4, p146(with B.Baiser and A. Ellison)(2013).

A minimal model for tumor angiogenesis, Physical Review E, 73, 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 E, 73, p.066601 (2006) (with P.G. Kevrekidis and R. Horne)

On the effect of backleak in nephron dynamics, Physical Review E, 67, 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 Computing, 17,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)

You are here

Education

Mailing Address

Department of Mathematics and Statistics