Student Spotlight: Jiafeng Jin
Meet Jiafeng Jin, a Kent State doctoral student from Shanghai, China, studying applied mathematics. Her research, which focuses on network analysis, demonstrates how complex systems can be modeled as a network. Examples of these networks include social networks, road networks, and networks of genes. The networks are represented as graphs in order to allow for trackable mathematical analysis. Despite their simplicity, graphs capture much of the complexity of the behavior of the system. Jiafeng looks to answer the questions of which nodes or edges are the most important, and how edges should be added to increase the communicability of a network. She has been described as a creative student who excels at modelling real-life networks via graphs that can be analyzed by mathematical methods.
Jiafeng has submitted a paper for publication in a journal and is working on her next paper, which is almost ready.
After receiving her degree, Jiafeng hopes to pursue a career in academia – teaching mathematics at a college or university. “My main goal of teaching mathematics is to aid students in learning and understanding mathematics in a way that builds confidence and a thirst for learning,” she says.
Jiafeng’s favorite part about Kent State is the opportunities available for graduate students as well as the atmosphere and campus life – “The campus is beautiful, and there are many educational and informational seminars available to students."
In her free time, Jiafeng enjoys watching movies, reading and cooking.
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