Yan X Zhang’s Academic Page

yan_greta.jpg
(if you can read that this is Greta’s own poster, you do not need glasses)

Recent Updates:

  • (3/2020) Put Combining GHOST and Casper (with Vitalik Buterin, et al) on ArXiV. This is the result of a SJSU CAMCOS Project, collaborating with Ethereum.  -> research page
  • (2/2020) Ran (with the Ethereum Foundation) Blockchain Theory Workshop #5 at Stanford.
  • (1/2020) Teaching 146 (Cryptography) (which I designed!) at SJSU.
  • (8/2019) Back from SPARC, year 8, as director. Back from ESPR, year 2, as advisor/instructor.
  • (2/2019) Ran (with the Ethereum Foundation) Blockchain Theory Workshop #3 at Stanford.
  • (10/2018) Put Privacy in Cryptocurrencies: an Overview (with Yi Sun) on Medium.
  • (10/2018) Put 3 papers on the ArXiv: Applying Fourier Analysis to Judgment Aggregation, Enumerative Gadget Phenomena for $(4,1)$-Adinkras, A Unified Enumeration of 1-dimension Garden Algebras and Valise Adinkras (with Isaac Friend and Jordan Kostiuk) -> research page

This is the academic webpage of Yan Zhang (I publish under Yan X Zhang). I am now an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at San Jose State University. Previously, I was a Morrey Visiting Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley in 2013-2016. I received my Ph. D. in mathematics at MIT under Richard Stanley in June 2013, after a B.A. in mathematics at Harvard University. For non-academic things, please see my personal page.

  • Research: I do research in a variety of problems related to combinatorics, usually with a classic enumerative / algebraic bent (involving linear algebra and generating functions). Most of my work is interdisciplinary bridge-building, studying discrete mathematical structures that come from other fields such as physics, biology, and social science. For a list of my research (including talks), please see the Research page.
  • SPARC / Teaching / Mentoring: I think a lot about teaching and mentoring, both in and outside the university teaching context. For some thoughts on teaching and a list of my teaching-related activities, please see the Teaching page. My most important project is directing SPARC, a very special summer camp for gifted high schoolers.
  • Industry: I am unhealthily attracted to side projects, such as consulting, mentoring, or generic value-adding in the amazing activity going around the Bay. Past and current activities have involved optimization, writing code, and machine learning.