I am a mathematician, an educator and the Dean of the School of Natural Sciences at the University of California at Merced. I see mathematics in everything around me. One of the great things about a career as a university faculty member is that you have the opportunity and freedom to play many roles working with many talented faculty, staff and students. As a scholar and educator, I enjoy helping students learn about and discover mathematics at all levels. I enjoy teaching at all levels. Some of my most advanced students have gone on to be faculty elsewhere while others have gone into industry. As a department chair at the University of Delaware (UD), I enjoyed advancing our department’s mission and supporting the faculty in achieving their goals and aspirations. As the inaugural dean of the Graduate College at the UD, I led the creation of the University of Delaware’s newest college, one that worked across the entire university to promote excellence in graduate preparation and research. Now, as the Dean of Natural Sciences at UC Merced, I look forward to providing administrative leadership to a spectacular and committed school faculty with expertise in chemistry, life sciences spanning all scales from molecular to environmental, mathematics and physics.

Research and students

My research interests focus on numerical methods and analysis of a variety of problems. I seek new and exciting mathematical problems that arise in the world around us. Much of this work involves moving particles of one kind or another, partial differential equations or computational methods. My research has been applied to fluid flows, insect swarms, wired and wireless networks, and robotics. Most research at R1 institutions is done by students working side-by-side with faculty mentors. So, most of these mathematical advances are stories of discovery of knowledge, but they are also stories of growth and development of my students.

Disambiguation

I am named after my uncle Lt. Louis Rossi who proudly served his country in the US Navy. I am not related to the Louis Rossi who is a famous motocycle racer.