Nora Heitzman-Breen

Why did you choose the Mathematics Department at Virginia Tech?

I was looking for programs that had active research in math biology, specifically research in infectious diseases, and chose to apply to VT because Dr. Ciupe was here and researching infectious disease and immunology . When I visited VT for the first time, I really liked the research the Math Bio group was doing as a whole and that they met and collaborated regularly.

Tell us about your research project.

My area of research is Mathematical Biology and my advisor is Dr. Stanca Ciupe. My dissertation title is "Within-host and multiscale models of Usutu and SARS-CoV-2 viral infections with animal hosts." My current research focuses on modeling infection, immune response, and drug therapy responses within hosts using systems of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs), Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) models, and Non-linear mixed effect (NLME) models.

Congratulations on your recent nomination for the 2024 COS Outstanding Doctoral Student Award! What are some of the ways that you've become involved as a graduate student?

I am the current AWM Student Chapter Secretary and was formerly the AWM Student Chapter President. I have also been involved with Math Circles and was a Team Advisor for COMAP 2022.

What are some of your favorite memories as a graduate student?

Potlucks and bonfires with my fellow grad students. I enjoy playing board games with friends and my current favorite game is Wingspan.

What advice do you have for math grad students?

Keep a record of your accomplishments and your CV materials starting day one. Its a lot easier to do bit by bit than try to start from scratch.

What is a fun fact about you?

I have a cat named Domino!