Vicky Zhu

Intro

I earned my Ph.D in Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics (ACMS) department at the University of Notre Dame in 2023. My research focuses on recurrent neuronal network models and machine learning. I am also an enthusiastic educator and confident with many years of teaching experiences.

I received my M.S. in ACMS from Notre Dame in 2020 and B.A. in mathematics and statistics from University of California, Berkeley in 2018.

I also have diverse interests in life including: music, literature, movies, dance, and sports. I am an explorer, and I like to face all the challenges in life. Through the looking glass, I believed in a promising wonderland!

This is my CV, dissertation, and LinkedIn page.

Work

My Oral Exam slides and Code

Publication and Ongoing Papers:

1. Zhu. V. & Rosenbaum, R. Learning fixed points in recurrent neuronal models. In Progress. 2022.

2. Xu, X., Zhu. V., Hong, Y., Mielke, J., Sohler, F., Kryukov, I., & Ghadessi, M. The impact of active day and restful night on cardiovascular diseases in UK-biobank population. In Progress. 2022.

3. Zhu. V. & Rosenbaum, R. Evaluating the extent to which homeostatic plasticity learns to compute prediction errors in unstructured neuronal networks. Journal of ComputationalNeuroscience, 2022.

4. Baker. C., Zhu. V., & Rosenbaum, R. Nonlinear stimulus representations in neural circuits with approximate excitatory-inhibitory balance. PLoS Computational Biology, 2022.

5. Otto, P., Savoie, B., Wright, A., & Zhu, V. Mixing Time of the Generalized Rook ́s Walk. Submit, 2020.

6. Desgrottes. M., Senger, S. Soukup. D., & Zhu. R. A Generalized Framework for Studying Finite Rainbow Configuration. Combinatorial and Additive Number Theory (CANT) conference, 2018.

Selective Graduate Projects:

ACMS 60842: Time Series Predictions, Stock Investments

ACMS 60786: Linear Models, Weather Prediction

ACMS 60885: Bayesian Statistics, Bayesian Predictive Coding

ACMS 70860: Stochastic Analysis, Numerical Stochastic Differencial Equation in Neural Circuits

ACMS 60630 Nonlinear Dynamics, Fast-Slow Analysis on Neuronal Models

Some Industrial Competitions (Video):

1. Kaggle Data Competition: crossroads analytic challenges

2. Data Analysis at Bayer: Survival and Cluster Analysis within UK Bio-bank sleeping data

Selective Undergraduate Projects:

Math 160: Math History, Harmonic Triangle

Math 130: Classical Geometry, Hilbert Space Frame Theory

Stat 133: R Programming, Determinants of Home Price and Its Fluctuation Over Time

Stat 157: Independent Probability Project, Oscar Best Picture Prediction

Stat 153: Time Series, A Time Series Perspective of Ballet, “Shall We Dance?”

INFO W18: Python Programming, Government Website Analysis

Teaching

my roles as a student and an educator has built my belief that students learn best through activities involving rewards and collaborations. This teaching philosophy prepared me the opportunity for a competetion of excellence in teaching award in 2021.

Teaching at Notre Dame:

ITAO 20200: Foundations of Statistics           Spring 2023

ITAO 20200: Statistical Inference in Business          Spring 2022

ITAO 20200: Statistical Inference in Business          Spring 2021

ACMS 10145: Business Statistics I                Summer 2020

TA at Notre Dame:

ACMS 40640: Artificial Neural Networks            Spring 2020

ACMS 40740: Computational Neuroscience Modeling          Fall 2019

ACMS 10145: Business Statistics I                Spring 2019

ACMS 30530: Intro to Probability                    Fall 2018

Undergraduate TA at UC Berkeley:

Math 113: Abstract Algebra                    Summer 2018

Math 55: Discrete Math                          Fall 2017

Outreach Activities

I always like to give back to the community where I come from. I have involved with many outreach programs on and off campus.

As a vice president of the Schmitt Leadership Society, I organize large fund raising community events such as Pi day 5K marathon and concession stands during college football game weekends for our boys and girls clubs.

As a committee at Association for Women in Science, I mentor undergraduate women and minority students by giving career development workshops each year.

Personal Interests

Music:

I love music of many kinds, and I play the piano, harp, and violin. I also like watching art performances such as Taiko, ballet, opera, etc. In particular, I practice hip-pop weekly!

Movies:

My favoriate movie is Gattaca. A Fun fact about me is that I was an extra in several movies including Exit Strategy.

Outdoors:

I am outgoing. I like to travel and join some outdoor activities such as gardening, skiing, kayaking, hiking and diving.

Contact

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• GitHub

Elements

i = 0;

while (!deck.isInOrder()) {
    print 'Iteration ' + i;
    deck.shuffle();
    i++;
}

print 'It took ' + i + ' iterations to sort the deck.';