Sean Bohun
PhD
Associate Professor
Applied and Industrial Mathematics
Faculty of Science
Developing and solving sophisticated mathematical models for contemporary problems in industry. Particular interest lies with problems that require an intersection of multiple disciplines or innovative solution techniques.
Background
C. Sean Bohun is an Associate Professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Active in the field of industrial and applied mathematics, he has been an invited participant of Study Groups around the globe for nearly 20 years. Dr. Bohun specializes in mathematical modelling and has coauthored a text on the subject. He has been a mentor for graduate training workshops since 2004 in Canada, the US, and Oxford, and has been one of the main organizers of the Canadian Study Groups for many years. His research continually places him in contact with real-life problems from both industry and greater society. This process continues to breakdown barriers between the mathematical sciences and other disciplines, fields and industries. For these efforts Professor Bohun was the recipient of the 2015 CAIMS-Fields Industrial Mathematics Prize.Sean's research is driven by industrial concerns and occurs at the interface of mathematics and some collection of other disciplines. As a result of this, it is highly cross-disciplinary and on the surface, somewhat eclectic in nature. Below is a brief summary of some of his research. It is by no means exhaustive.
-determining molecular structure using a Pixel Imaging Mass Spectrometer;
-new models of temperature preduction in cadavers;
-the onset of plasticity in crystal growth;
-tissue engineering with the optimal placement of cells using magnetic micro-beads.
Alongside of these initiatives, Dr. Bohun is interested in the application of many of the techniques in applied mathematics to social and political situations. This interest has grown from initial questions concerning voting choice and strategic voting to modelling the mechanisms that drive social change. Much of this work depends on being able to penetrate the sociological/religious/political literature and this continues to be a challenge, but will ultimately continue to lower the barriers between applied mathematics and the humanities.
Research interests: Mathematical modelling and breaking down the barriers between the mathematical sciences and other disciplines, fields and industries; real-life problems from both industry and greater society.
