Vivien Kirk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vivien Kirk
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Vivien Kirk in 1990
|
|
| Alma mater | University of Auckland University of Cambridge |
| Scientific career | |
| Doctoral advisor | Nigel Weiss |
| Doctoral students | Alona Ben-Tal |
Vivien Kirk is a smart mathematician from New Zealand. She studies how things change and move in patterns. This area of math is called dynamical systems. She is a professor of mathematics at the University of Auckland. She also helps lead the university as an associate dean. From 2017 to 2019, she was the president of the New Zealand Mathematical Society.
Her Journey in Math
Vivien Kirk started her university studies at the University of Auckland. There, she earned her first two degrees. After that, she went to the University of Cambridge in England. This is where she worked on her Ph.D. degree. She finished her Ph.D. in 1990. Her big research paper was about how patterns can break apart in certain kinds of flows. Her teacher for this work was Nigel Weiss.
After getting her Ph.D., she continued her research. She worked at the University of California, Berkeley. She also did research at the California Institute of Technology. She has also taught many students who went on to do great things. One of her notable students is Alona Ben-Tal.
What She Studies
Vivien Kirk writes books about her math research. She co-authored a book called Mathematical Analysis of Complex Cellular Activity. This book helps explain how cells in our bodies work using math. She also wrote Models of Calcium Signalling. This book looks at how calcium moves inside cells. These books help scientists understand living things better.
Helping Others in Science
In 2017, Vivien Kirk received a special award. It was the Miriam Dell Excellence in Science Mentoring Award. This award is from New Zealand's Association for Women in the Sciences. She won it because she helps and guides young people. Since 2007, she has organized workshops every year. These workshops are for young women interested in math and physics. She helps them learn and grow in these subjects.
