Engaging students in interdisciplinary research is one of the best ways to help develop students’ abilities to apply the knowledge they learn in the classroom and propel them forward, whether to graduate school or to being a leader in their profession.
Dr. Simons is an applied mathematician specializing in biological applications. The primary aim of her work is to elucidate the biomechanics of cellular motility. This research is central to understanding problems in almost all biological settings: cellular motility is vital for the survival of not only individual cells but also multicellular structures and organisms. Her research spans several biological fields, from bacterial locomotion to blood clotting to sexual reproduction, and involves methodologies from mathematics, physics, and computer science. In 2016, her research was cited in the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics News. Dr. Simons has published several journal articles, including one co- with undergraduate students, a book chapter, and remains active in her community collaborations with Tulane University’s Center for Computational Science and support of undergraduate research initiatives.