Curriculum Vitae - May 2000

www.cs.wpi.edu/~alvarez/
e-mail: alvarez@cs.wpi.edu

Current Position:

Visiting Assistant Professor

Computer Science Department

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA 01609

Previous Position:

Postdoctoral Research Associate and Visiting Faculty Member

Center for Nonlinear Analysis and Mathematical Sciences Department

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890

• Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, University of Maryland, College Park, 1996
• M.S. in Mathematics, Universidad de los Andes, 1989
• B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Universidad Javeriana, 1985

• Provost's MQP Award for Computer Science (Advisor), Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1999 and 2000
• Graduate School Fellow, University of Maryland, 1989-1991
• Mathematics Department Fellow, University of Maryland, 1989-1992

• Metrics for knowledge combination and data analysis
• Modeling and management of uncertainty
• Self-organizing neural networks, pattern recognition
• Optimal control, optimization
• Interface dynamics, nonlinear partial differential equations

• Visiting Assistant Professor, Computer Science Department,
  Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609, starting Aug. 1998
  • research in machine learning, information systems, modeling of uncertainty
  • supervision of undergraduate research in computer science
  • teaching for computer science majors

• Assistant Professor, Mathematics and Computer Science Department,
  Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT 06226, starting Aug. 1997 (resigned 1998)
  • research in nonlinear analysis
  • teaching for mathematics, computer science, and liberal arts majors

• Visiting faculty member and postdoctoral research associate,
  Department of Mathematical Sciences and Center for Nonlinear Analysis,
  Carnegie Mellon University, 1996-1997
  • research in nonlinear partial differential equations, free-boundary problems
  • study of interface motion driven by surface diffusion
  • teaching for science and engineering majors

• Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Computer Science,
  University of Maryland at College Park, 1995-1996
  
  • research in self-organizing networks, computational modelling
  • development of measures of network organization and asymmetry
  • development of Web tutorial on Lie theory applied to particle physics

• Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Mathematics,
  University of Maryland at College Park, 1995-1996
  
  • research in nonlinear partial differential equations,
    interface motion, free-boundary problems
  • study of Dirichlet-to-Neumann map of planar domains
  • study of interface motion driven by curvature and diffusion

• Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Mathematics,
  University of Maryland at College Park, Summer 1994, Summer 1993
  
  • research in nonlinear partial differential equations,
    center manifold theory, interface motion

• Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Mathematics,
  University of Maryland at College Park, 1991-1995
  • taught courses in calculus, linear algebra, probability
  • worked as computer lab tutor for calculus
  • served as official departmental tutor for calculus, linear algebra, probability, mathematical modelling, algebra and trigonometry

• Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Mathematics,
  University of Maryland at College Park, Summer 1991, Summer 1990
  
  • research in optimal control
  • analytic and computational study of optimal trajectories

Participant in professional conferences and seminars

• 6th International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics
  Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Jan. 2000

• Workshop on Soft Computing,
  Marianska u Jachymova, Czech Republic, November 1999

• CAIMS-99, Quebec City, Canada, June 1999

• AAAI-98, Madison, WI, July 1998

• Course on Uncertain Reasoning, UAI-98, Madison, WI, July 1998

• AMS Southeastern Section meeting,
  Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, October 1997

• Current and Future Challenges in Applied Mathematics
  50th Anniversary Symposium
  Division of Applied Mathematics, Brown University, Providence, RI, May 1997

• Special Session on Partial Differential Equations
  AMS Eastern Section Meeting, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, April 1997

• AMS-SIAM Summer Seminar in Applied Mathematics:
  Mathematics of Stochastic Manufacturing Systems
  College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, June 1996

• Modern Computational and Applied Mathematics Conference
  Center for Nonlinear Analysis, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, March 1996

• Joint AMS-SIAM-MAA Mathematics Meeting
  Orlando, FL, January 1996

• IAS/Park City Mathematics Institute
  Graduate Summer School on Nonlinear Wave Phenomena
  Park City, Utah, July 1995

• AMS-SIAM Summer Seminar in Applied Mathematics:
  Dynamical Systems and Probabilistic Techniques for Nonlinear Waves
  MSRI, Berkeley, July 1994

• IMA Graduate Summer School on Partial Differential Equations
  Indiana University, Bloomington, June-July 1992

• Conference on Hamiltonian Systems and Celestial Mechanics
  University of Cincinnati, March 1992

• Joint AMS-SIAM-MAA Mathematics Meeting
  Baltimore, MD, January 1992

Principal speaker in university seminars and colloquia

• Wellesley College.
  Computer Science Seminar, March 2000.

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
  Artificial Intelligence Seminar, November 1998, April 1999.

• University of Connecticut, Storrs.
  Differential Equations Seminar, November 1997.

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
  Computer Science Colloquium, March 1997, January 1999.

• Brown University.
  Special Lefschetz Center for Dynamical Systems Seminar, March 1997.

• University of Connecticut, Storrs.
  Partial Differential Equations Seminar, March 1997.

• University of Toronto.
  Analysis and Partial Differential Equations Seminar, November 1996.

• McMaster University.
  Analysis Seminar, November 1996.

• University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
  Applied Mathematics and Computation Seminar, October 1996.

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
  Mathematical Sciences Colloquium, October 1996.

• University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
  Mathematical Sciences Colloquium, October 1996.

• Carnegie Mellon University.
  Center for Nonlinear Analysis Seminar, September 1996.

• University of Maryland at College Park.
  Neural Modeling Seminar, February 1996.

• University of Maryland at College Park.
  PDE and Applied Analysis Seminar, February 1996.

• Harvey Mudd College.
  Special Mathematics Colloquium, February 1996.

• University of Maryland at College Park.
  Student-Faculty Colloquium, January 1994.

Supervision of student research

• Weiyang Lin, ``Association Rule Mining for Collaborative Recommender Systems'', Master's Thesis, 1999-2000 (co-advised with Carolina Ruiz)

• Jim Kilian, ``Statistical Learning Theory and Support Vector Machines'', Ph.D. Independent Study Project, 1999 (co-advised with Soraya Rana and Mark Stevens)

• Matthew J. Streeter, ``N²VIS: An Interactive Visualization Tool for Neural Networks'', Major Qualifying Project (MQP), Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Winner, Provost's MQP Award for Computer Science, 2000 (co-advised with Matthew Ward)

• Tara Halwes, ``Data Mining for Sequence Data'', Major Qualifying Project (MQP), Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1999-2000 (co-advised with Carolina Ruiz)

• Matthew L. Berube, ``TinFOIL: A System for Learning Rules from Examples'', Major Qualifying Project (MQP), Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Winner, Provost's MQP Award for Computer Science, 1999 (co-advised with Carolina Ruiz)

• Amy H. Kao and Dana N. Rock, ``Collaborative and Content-Based Filtering using Neural Networks'', Major Qualifying Project (MQP), Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1999 (co-advised with Carolina Ruiz)

• Anna Novikov, ``Combination of Relevance Rankings for Web Metasearch'', Major Qualifying Project (MQP), Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1998 (co-advised with Carolina Ruiz)

Guest lecturer in university courses

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
  Graduate course in artificial intelligence, Spring 1998.
  Topic: Learning in neural networks.

• University of Maryland at College Park.
  Graduate course in artificial intelligence, Spring 1996.
  Topic: Knowledge representation based on mathematical logic.

• Harvey Mudd College.
  Multivariable calculus course, Spring 1996.
  Topic: Arclength and fractal curves.

Professional Service

• Referee for journal articles
  • Journal of Differential Equations
• Departmental service
  • Coordinator, Recommendation and Filtering Research Seminar
    Computer Science Department, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Articles in refereed journals

• ``Quadratic Computation of Optimal Four-Impulse Rendezvous Near a Circular Orbit'' (with T.E. Carter), Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, vol. 23, no. 1, 109-117, Jan.-Feb. 2000

• ``Metrics for Cortical Map Organization and Asymmetry'' (with S. Levitan and J.A. Reggia), The Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, vol. 60 (1998)

• ``Motion of a closed curve by minus the surface Laplacian of curvature'' (with C. Liu), Differential and Integral Equations, accepted; also see Research Report No. 97-NA-009, Center for Nonlinear Analysis, Carnegie Mellon University, Aug. 1997

• ``Homothetic Invariance of the Space L⁰(\mu)''
  Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications
  Vol. 179, no. 1, Oct. 1993, 260-274

• ``L^p Arithmetic''
  The American Mathematical Monthly
  vol. 99, no. 8, Aug.-Sept. 1992, 656-662

• ``Lattices Generated by Collections of L^p Spaces''
  Revista Colombiana de Matemáticas, vol. XXII, 1988

• ``Automated Recognition of Handprinted Alphanumeric Characters''
  (with D. Noreña and E. Ramos)
  Sistemas, No. 23, Apr.-Jun. 1985

Conference and workshop articles

• ``Belief Combination by Means of Frame Transformations'', 6th International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Jan. 2000

• ``A Geometric Theory of Knowledge Aggregation'', Workshop on Soft Computing, Marianska u Jachymova, Czech Republic, Nov. 1999

• ``Four-Impulse Rendezvous Near Circular Orbit'' (with T.E. Carter), AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Boston, MA, Aug. 1998

• ``A New Framework for Geometric Interface Motion'' (with R.L. Pego), AMS Eastern Section meeting, College Park, MD, Apr. 1997

In preparation

• ``An Analytical Relation for the Trade-Off between Recall, Precision, and Classification Accuracy in Information Filtering''

Technical reports

• ``A New Adaptive-Support Algorithm for Asociation Rule Mining'' (with W.-Y. Lin and C. Ruiz), Technical Report No. WPI-CS-TR-00-13, Department of Computer Science, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, May 2000

• ``NNVIS: An Interactive Visualization Tool for Neural Networks'' (with M. Streeter and M. Ward), Technical Report No. WPI-CS-TR-00-11, Department of Computer Science, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, March 2000

• ``A Transformation-Based Combination Framework for Approximate Reasoning'', Technical Report No. WPI-CS-TR-98-22, Department of Computer Science, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Nov. 1998

• ``Rational Comparison of Probabilities via a Blow-Up Conjugacy'', Research Report No. 97-NA-010, Center for Nonlinear Analysis, Carnegie Mellon University, Aug. 1997

• ``Measuring Organization and Asymmetry in Bihemispheric Topographic Map Formation'' (with S. Levitan and J. A. Reggia), Technical Report UMCP-CSD:CS-TR-3668, Department of Computer Science, University of Maryland, College Park, Sept. 1996

• ``Time-Optimal Control of Wheeled Mobile Robots'' (with J. H. Maddocks), Technical Report TR 91-18, Department of Mathematics, University of Maryland, College Park, May 1991

Theses

• ``Interface motion driven by curvature and diffusion:
  Analytic dependence on the initial data for the Mullins-Sekerka equation''
  Ph.D. Thesis, directed by Robert L. Pego
  Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics Program
  University of Maryland, College Park, 1996

• ``Two Topics in L^p Spaces''
  M.S. Thesis, directed by Jaime Lesmes
  Department of Mathematics, Universidad de los Andes, 1989

• ``Automated Recognition of Handprinted Alphanumeric Characters''
  Electronics Engineering graduation project
  Department of Electronics Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, 1985

• American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI)
• Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
• Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)

• Native fluency in both English and Spanish. Basic skills in French.