Undergraduate Alumni

Featured Undergraduate Alumni

Elizabeth Stephenson

Elizabeth Stephenson graduated from UTA with an honors bachelor of mathematics in 2018 after working in point-set topology with Barbara Shipman and mathematical biology with Hristo Kojouharov. Her undergraduate research at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and coursework in Budapest under the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program inspired her to move abroad for graduate studies in mathematics, and she joined the fall 2018 PhD cohort at ISTA, where she worked for several years in computational geometry and topology under Herbert Edelsbrunner. During this time she traveled to conferences and workshops in Australia, Japan, Canada, Germany, and the UK, and was on the committee for the Think&Drink institute talk series as well as in the working group that created the guidelines for the masters’ program at ISTA, which previously only offered PhDs.

After deciding to leave academia, she mastered out of the PhD program and moved to Norway, where she currently works as a researcher and software engineer at the indoor positioning startup Orteliu, doing mostly computational geometry and a bit of machine learning. Elizabeth keeps up correspondence with collaborators from academia and has continued to coauthor and review papers in her free time, and particularly enjoys making nice 3D figures and animations for her research projects.

In her remaining free time, Elizabeth stays busy with weaving, traveling, and wildlife photography. Recently she has enjoyed photographing bears in Alaska, snakes in Costa Rica, and jazz musicians at the Oslo Jazz Festival.

Gavin Sabine

Gavin Sabine graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. As an undergraduate, he conducted research in mathematical biology with Hristo Kojouharov and completed an engineering senior capstone focused on topology optimization of 3D-printed thin-walled aircraft structures. Alongside his technical work, he developed a strong interest in mathematics education.

Following graduation, Gavin contributed to several enrichment programs for young mathematicians. He served as a teaching assistant at the LSU Math Circle, where he supported courses in Python, number theory, and combinatorics. In addition, he worked as a counselor at Epsilon Camp in Colorado, a program for mathematically inclined children. He later planned and led daily lectures in number theory as a counselor at the Ross Mathematics Program, an intensive math program for high school students. He began graduate studies at Virginia Tech, where he worked under Megan Wawro on a National Science Foundation grant to develop inquiry-based linear algebra curriculum.

Gavin subsequently transitioned away from academia, towards industry, and has spent the past five years working as an actuary in the property and casualty insurance industry. He has developed expertise in pricing and reserving, and most recently supported the integration of an insurtech startup following its acquisition by Hiscox USA. In 2025, he became an Associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society (ACAS) and continues to pursue Fellowship.

Outside of his professional work, Gavin is an avid triathlete. During his undergraduate studies, he raced at the USA Duathlon National Championships in Bend, Oregon, earning qualification for and competing at the World Championships in Odense, Denmark. He continues to swim, run, and ride his bike around Fort Worth when he is not busy studying for his next actuarial exam.

Jenna French

Jenna French is the head coach of a robotics team that went to the UIL State Championship this year. She is also a lead Geometry teacher, is starting a master’s program in Math Education this fall, and will soon become a Computer Science teacher. She will also serve as an advisor on the UTA Computer Science and Engineering Department’s advisory committee.

Darsh Gandhi

Darsh graduated from UT Arlington in 2025 with his Bachelor of Science in Math. During his time at UTA, he was involved with research and outreach. Through the Math for Human Health RTG program, he worked on problems in mathematical biology and numerical analysis with Drs. Hristo Kojouharov, Christopher Kribs, and Souvik Roy. Supported by the National Science Foundation, Darsh founded and hosted the Mathposium conference (2022-2024) with Drs. Talon Johnson and Theresa Jorgensen. He also served as two-term president of the MAA student chapter, founded the Math Bio Club, and was involved with the AWM and Pi Mu Epsilon chapters. He is honored to have received awards from the AMS, AAAS, Department of Defense, and SIAM for his research and outreach work. Darsh is grateful to have found many supportive friends and mentors through his time at UTA.

He is now a graduate student in the Applied Math & Stats, and Scientific Computation (AMSC) program at the University of Maryland. As a Graduate Research Fellow, his research with Dr. Abba Gumel focuses on incorporating human behavior and social determinants of health into mathematical models in epidemiology. He is excited to continue exploring his research interests and working towards a more inclusive mathematics community. Outside of his graduate studies, Darsh enjoys exploring, spending time outside, and listening to music. He is currently getting back into reading and painting and wants to learn to pilot an aircraft.

Drew McGinnis

Drew McGinnis has spent their career in math and science education, data analytics, and market research. This career path has offered challenging and rewarding work while also being compatible with Drew's desire to be a lifelong learner and traveler.

After graduating from UTA in 2014 with a BS in Pure Mathematics and a Minor in Philosophy, Drew spent two years at UC Riverside where he earned his MS in Mathematics, sneaking into undergraduate literature classes and off to the beach when he had the chance. Tutoring part-time in UTA's Math Clinic and being a teaching assistant at UC Riverside grew his love for education which led to him spending the next three years managing a tutoring center in Virginia and teaching high school math and physics in Dallas, California, and Hong Kong. One of his favorite courses to teach was Paradoxes and Infinities. Drew then moved into consulting work as a data analyst and researcher, spending the next four years consulting with various companies through a creative branding agency and a software development firm. During this time, Drew designed and executed many interesting research and analytics projects for clients across retail, technology, food, hospitality, finance, and other industries. After a break from consulting to travel and plan for the next year, Drew joined the Client Services team at Sawtooth Software, a survey software company in Utah. In this role, Drew provides a mix of customer support, consulting, teaching, and R&D work centered around a choice-based research methodology called conjoint analysis.

Outside of professional accomplishments, Drew enjoys reading, listening to and playing music, trying new foods, and spending time outside with their lovely partner. Recently, exploring Utah and the West has been a highlight for Drew, having visited all the nearby national parks and learning to fly fish. Drew is grateful for their education in math and philosophy because they “learned how to learn”, and since then have been applying that cultivated curiosity and critical thinking to all kinds of new experiences

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