Yasanthi Kottegoda, Ph.D.

Education

Ph.D., Mathematics, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
M.S., Mathematics, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
B.S., Mathematics, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

About Yasanthi

I earned my Ph.D. in Mathematics fr om Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2014 and received my BS in Mathematics from the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka where I’m originally from. My main research interests lie in finite fields and their applications with a focus on quadratic forms over finite fields. I am also interested in furthering my research in the area of algebraic coding theory and Cryptography. I have been involved in undergraduate Mathematics teaching since I joined University of New Haven in 2014. Because of the abstract nature of Mathematics, I believe teaching Mathematics is an art that is all about making complicated things simple while not making simple things mo re complicated. Working with the amazing, hardworking group of students and passionate teachers here at UNH enhanced an interest in me towards looking into undergraduate mathematics research. This gives me an opportunity to self-reflect on my day to day teaching activities, analyze students’ thought process and examine various techniques of improving teaching styles to provide a better learning experience to students. Following my passion to promote and encourage retention in math among female youth, I take part in the University of New Haven All Girls Summer Math Academy since 2015 as the co-founder and the co-director of the program.

Please see my CV for further details of my career.