About Me

My Life Story

I was born and grew up in the small town of Lake City, Minnesota. Lake City is in southeast Minnesota and is famous for being the "birthplace of waterskiing". Located along Lake Pepin, the widest point of the Mississippi River, the town supports a thriving sailboat culture, and the town's marina is one of the largest small boat harbors on the Mississippi. Also famous for its apple orchards, Lake City produces one fourth of the apples grown in Minnesota and is the country's largest producer of the Haralson apple.

After graduating from Lincoln High School in 1993, I attended Gustavus Adolphus College. Gustavus is a small liberal arts college located in St. Peter, Minnesota. I received my Bachelor's Degree in mathematics from Gustavus in May 1997 and that fall moved to New Hampshire to begin my graduate work at Dartmouth College .

I spent five enjoyable years at Dartmouth. After earning my Master's Degree in 1999, I chose Functional Analysis as my area of specialization and completed my thesis under the guidance of my advisor, Dana P. Williams. In the Spring of 2002 I received my Ph.D. from Dartmouth, and was also awarded an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship.

I did my NSF postdoc at the University of Iowa where I worked under the supervision and guidance of my sponsoring scientist, Paul Muhly. At Iowa I studied Cuntz-Pimsner algebras and dynamical systems.

After my NSF postdoc, I took a one-year position at the College of William & Mary, and lived in the scenic and historic city of Williamsburg, Virginia.

In Fall of 2006 I began a tenure-track job at the University of Houston, and I am a part of the Analysis Research Group in the Mathematics Department. I am currently living in Houston, the fourth largest city in the U.S., and enjoying all the city has to offer.

If you are interested, you can check out my mathematical genealogy. I also have an Erdös number of 4.

Math Buildings in which I have resided:

Olin Hall Bradley Hall MacLean Hall Jones Hall Philip G. Hoffman Hall
Olin Hall
Gustavus Adolphus College 		Bradley Hall
Dartmouth College 		MacLean Hall
University of Iowa 		Jones Hall
College of William & Mary 		Philip G. Hoffman Hall
University of Houston

Mark's Vital Information:

Birthplace: Lake City, Minnesota
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Hair Color:Brown
Eye Color: Hazel
Shoe Size: 10 1/2
Favorite Color: Burnt Sienna



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