Ryan Martin's Students

Current students

Tony Vuolo

Ph.D. student [Vuolo Homepage]

Former PhD students 

Matthew "Nick" Veldt

Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, 24 April 2025

Dissertation: Induced saturation for various posets
ISU Awards: ISU Graduate College Teaching Excellence Award (2025), Mathematics Research Excellence Award (2025), RTG Advanced Traineeship (2023-2024)

Currently: Postdoc at Vanadro, Des Moines, Iowa


Enrique Gomez-Leos

Ph.D. in Mathematics, 10 April 2025

Dissertation: Randomly perturbed multipartite graphs
ISU Awards: Miller Family Research Excellence Award (2025), RTG Advanced Traineeship (2023-2024), ISU Graduate College Teaching Excellence Award (2023), AFSOR Summer Research Fellowship (2022), RTG Early Traineeship (2021-2022)

Currently: Lecturer at Western Colorado University, Gunnison, Colorado


Alex W. N. Riasanovsky

Ph.D. in Mathematics, 13 April 2021

Dissertation: Two problems in extremal combinatorics
ISU Awards: Lambert Graduate Assistantship (2019), Graduate College Teaching Award (2018)

Currently: Operations Research Data Scientist at Chubb, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

First Position: Postdoctoral scholar at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany


Shanise Walker

Ph.D. in Mathematics, 27 March 2018

Dissertation: Problems in extremal graphs and poset theory 
ISU Awards: Robert J. Lambert Teaching Excellence Award (2018), J.J.L.  Hinrichsen Teaching Award (2016), Graduate College Teaching Award (2016)

Currently: Assistant Professor at Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia

First Position: Assistant Professor at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 

2025 recipient of the Henry L. Alder award from the Mathematical Association of America


Zhanar Berikkyzy

Ph.D. in Mathematics, 02 May 2016

Dissertation: The edit distance function: Forbidding induced powers of cycles and other questions
Awards: Mathematics Department Research Award (2016), Alberta Wolfe Research Fellowship (2015), Graduate College Teaching Award (2014)

Currently: Associate Professor at Fairfield University [Berikkyzy Homepage]

First Position: Visiting Assistant Professor at University of California, Riverside


Kirsten Hogenson

Ph.D. in Mathematics, 12 April 2016

Dissertation: Random and deterministic versions of extremal poset problems
Awards: Aggie Ho Teaching Award (2016), Graduate College Teaching Award (2013)

Currently: Associate Professor at Skidmore College [Hogenson Homepage]

First Position: Visiting Assistant Professor at Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado


Lucas Kramer

Ph.D. in Mathematics, 09 April 2014

Dissertation: On diamond-free subposets of the Boolean lattice: An application of flag algebras

Currently: Solutions Engineer at Knoblesdorff, Minneapolis, Minnesota

First Position: Visiting Instructor at Carroll College, Helena, Montana


Jason Smith

Ph.D. in Mathematics, 28 March 2012

Dissertation: Induced saturation number

Currently: Professor at Graceland University [Smith Homepage]

First Position: Assistant Professor at Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa

Board member, Iowa MAA, 2015-2017


Tracy McKay

Ph.D. in Mathematics, 27 March 2012

Dissertation: The edit distance function for graphs: an exploration of the case of forbidden induced K2,t and other questions
Awards: Alberta Wolfe Research Fellowship (2011), Graduate College Teaching Award (2010)

Currently: Lecturer at Dickinson College [McKay Homepage]

First Position: Visiting Assistant Professor at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania


Brendon Stanton

Ph.D. in Mathematics, 07 April 2011

Dissertation: On Vertex Identifying Codes for Infinite Lattices 
Awards: Aggie Ho Pure Mathematics Award (2011), Graduate College Teaching Award (2010)

Currently: Working for the US Government

First Position: Assistant Professor at The Citadel, Columbia, South Carolina


Former MS students 

Conor Thompson

M.S. in Mathematics, 10 July 2025

Creative Component: An exploration of canonical Ramsey theory

Jointly advised with Ruoyu Wu


Chelsea Peck

M.S. in Mathematics, 11 March 2013

Thesis: On the edit distance from a cycle-and squared cycle-free graph
Award: Henry Thielman Award for Outstanding Master's Thesis (2013)


Laura Walters

M.S. in Mathematics, 16 April 2008

Creative Component: Investigation of the use of finite frame theory in cryptography

Currently: Tutor at Ampact, Minneapolis, Minnesota

First position: Assistant/Associate Professor at Iowa Central Community College, Fort Dodge, Iowa

Earned a Doctor of Education from Sam Houston State University, 2023


Eric Hansen

M.S. in Mathematics, 30 April 2007

Creative Component: Analysis of the singular value decomposition in data hiding

Currently: Mathematics Teacher at The Lovett School, Atlanta, Georgia

First Position: Actuarial Analyst at Milliman, Inc. Health Insurance Consulting, Milwaukee, Wisconsin


Chad Brewbaker

M.S. in Mathematics, 15 November 2005

Thesis: Lonesum (0,1)-matrices and poly-Bernoulli numbers of negative index

Jointly advised with David Fernández-Baca