Sam Bender

Tell us about your research.

My research area is model reduction and numerical linear algebra. I work specifically with periodic models. A tentative title for my dissertation is “Modeling and Reduction Techniques for Linear Time-Periodic Systems.” My advisor is Chris Beattie. 

What are some of the leadership experiences you've been involved with at Virginia Tech?

I restarted the SIAM Student Chapter at Virginia Tech after a two year span of inactivity; we essentially had to rebuild the chapter from scratch. My fellow officers and I worked hard to organize diverse events — from mini-conferences to career chats — to connect and engage students from diverse fields. I received a certificate of recognition from the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) on behalf of my leadership of the chapter. Receiving the recognition was meaningful because it reflected the collective effort of our chapter and reinforced my interest in academic leadership and community building.

In addition to serving as president to the SIAM Student Chapter, I also serve on the organizing committee of Young Mathematicians in Model Order Reduction (YMMOR) 2026 — a conference organized by students for students, that’s being held May 25-29 here at Virginia Tech.

What made the VT Math Department stand out to you during your grad school search?

My number one priority in my grad school search was finding someone that I clicked with. I liked Chris (Beattie) as soon as I met him, and thanks to that it was easy to choose Tech. In the years since, I’ve found that he’s not an outlier in the department; every professor and student here is supportive, kind, and easy to talk to. I'm very grateful to belong to this group of people.

What advice do you have for students navigating research for the first time?

When I first started my PhD, I didn't realize or appreciate how much classwork and research are different. In class, the problems are all directed, and you can be sure that the answer exists. With research, you sometimes don't even know what the question is. Getting stuck on a homework problem means working on it for a week or two, whereas being stuck in research can mean years! 

From a purely emotional standpoint, those differences make research difficult. The truth is that in research you fail constantly — basically every day. And that can weigh on you; it certainly weighed on me! What helped me was changing my mindset from "today I will solve my problem" to "today I will learn something new about my problem." You need to be patient with yourself to not burn out, and setting small, even easy, daily goals was my way of finding that patience.

Tell us something people might be surprised to learn about you. 

Around the same time that I started my PhD, I started taking Spanish classes. I’m now obsessed with learning the language: I take a class every semester, I’m a member of LAIGSA (Latino and Iberian Graduate Student Association), I go to a Spanish conversation club at the municipal library, and every day I watch a Latino or Spanish TV series (Club de Cuervos is my favorite). 

What are you plans after graduation?

A plan I have after graduation is to do a post doc in Latin America. There are several countries (Brazil, Uruguay, and Chile in particular) making impressive efforts to convert to greener energy systems. As my research applies directly to models for wind turbine dynamics, I’m interested in finding a role where I can make an impact on intelligent implementation of cutting edge technology.

I hiked Virginia’s portion of the Appalachian Trail during the summer before starting my graduate studies at Tech. The month-long trip was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. Back then I swore to hike the whole trail after graduating. We'll see how timing shakes out, but that's another plan of mine.