Mackenzie Willis
Majors: Applied Mathematics and Statistics
Mentor: Dr. Rodrigo Gaitan
About
Background:
Mackenzie was born and raised in Santa Rosa, California, where she cultivated a strong interest in both environmental systems and mathematics. Exposure to chaos theory in her senior-year calculus course inspired her to pursue graduate studies in mathematics or statistics.
Research Interests:
Mackenzie's interests include applied statistics, computational and predictive modeling, environmental economics, and artificial intelligence. She is interested in applying statistics and computational models to environmental issues like sustainability and resource consumption, and understanding how they affect economics.
Biography
Mackenzie was born and raised in Santa Rosa, California, where she developed a strong interest in the intersection of mathematics and environmental systems. Her introduction to chaos theory during her senior-year calculus course sparked a deeper curiosity about how mathematical tools can be used to understand complex systems and inspired her to pursue graduate study in mathematics or statistics. Looking ahead, Mackenzie aspires to a career as a professor or research scientist, where she hopes to contribute to research addressing complex scientific and environmental questions.
Research Interests: Mackenzie’s research interests include applied statistics; mathematical and statistical modeling of climate and environmental systems; and the application of machine learning and statistical learning methods to develop efficient algorithms for analyzing complex systems.