Meet a Data Scientist: Jamie Haddock

11 April 2023

BY STELLA MIN

Learn how Dr. Jamie Haddock pursued her interest in mathematics and data science. Dr. Haddock also shared an encouraging and hopeful message for anyone who has just begun their journey into the field.

Background

Dr. Haddock earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Gonzaga University and went on to earn her PhD in Applied Mathematics at the University of California, Davis, under the guidance of Professor Jesús A. De Loera. After earning her PhD, she was a CAM Assistant Professor and postdoctoral fellow in the Mathematics Department at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her postdoctoral mentor was Professor Deanna Needell.

Current Role

Dr. Haddock is an Assistant Professor in the Mathematics Department at Harvey Mudd College. She teaches a variety of mathematics courses during the academic year and mentors a team of undergraduate research students. Dr. Haddock shared that she didn’t know that she wanted to become a mathematics professor until she was an undergraduate, which is when a few influential professors opened her eyes to the possibilities of teaching and research in Higher Ed. She became all the more certain that teaching is the career she wanted to pursue when she was a graduate student and postdoctoral fellow, thanks to the encouragement and support of some of her mentors.

Research

Dr. Haddock’s research focuses are in mathematical data science, optimization, and applied convex geometry. Areas in which she has been active recently include randomized numerical linear algebra, combinatorial methods for convex optimization, tensor decomposition for topic modeling, network consensus and ranking problems, and community detection on graphs and hypergraphs. Her research is supported by NSF DMS #2211318 “Tensor Models, Methods, and Medicine.”

Learn more about some of her research by watching the talk she gave at UCLA about hierarchical and neural nonnnegative tensor factorizations and her talk at NCSU’s Numerical Analysis Seminar about connections between iterative methods for linear systems and consensus dynamics on networks.

Career Tip

For those who are just beginning their journey into data science, Dr. Haddock recommended keeping an open mind and being willing to talk to others about your interests. Right now, the field is growing and the opportunities seem endless. If you’re motivated, once you get the ball rolling, it will pick up momentum and lead you where you want to go.

Outside of Work

Dr. Haddock loves spending time outdoors, including hiking and snowboarding with family. She also enjoys reading, and playing and watching basketball.

How to connect:

Learn more about Dr. Haddock and how to get in touch by checking out her profile in the CDN Member Directory which includes links to her website and social media profiles.