Nikola P. Petrov - Mini-Bio

Education

• Ph.D., Physics, 2002 - University of Texas, Austin.
  Advisor: Rafael de la Llave.
  Dissertation: Methods of Dynamical Systems, Harmonic Analysis and Wavelets Applied to Several Physical Systems.
• M.A., Mathematics, 2002 - University of Texas, Austin.
  Advisor: Rafael de la Llave.
  Thesis: Tree Structures and Nonlinear Approximation with Wavelets.
• Diploma, Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics, 1990 - University of Sofia, Bulgaria.
  Advisor: Petko Nikolov.
  Thesis: Obtaining Conformally Invariant Equations by Dimensional Reduction of the 6-Dimensional Maxwell Equations.

Employment

• Department Chair, Department of Mathematics, University of Oklahoma, Norman (8/2020-present).
• Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Oklahoma, Norman (8/2014-present).
• Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Oklahoma, Norman (7/2009-7/2014).
• Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Oklahoma, Norman (8/2005-6/2009).
• Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (9/2002-8/2005).
• Postdoctoral Associate, Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (9/2003-8/2005).
• Affiliate, Modeling, Algorithms and Informatics Group (CCS-3), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (6/2002-8/2002).
• Research Assistant, Space and Remote Sensing Sciences Group (NIS-2), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (5/2001-8/2001).
• Research Assistant, Department of Mathematics, University of Texas, Austin (8/1998-5/1999, 1/2000-5/2000).
• Assistant Instructor, Department of Physics, University of Texas, Austin (8/1997-12/1999, 6/2000-5/2002).
• Teaching Assistant, Department of Physics, University of Texas, Austin (9/1995-8/1997).
• Lecturer, Experimental Technological School for Electronic Systems, Technical University, Sofia, Bulgaria (9/1993-8/1995).
• Lecturer (part-time), Department of Physics, University of Sofia, Bulgaria (9/1989-5/1995).

Research Interests

• Dynamical systems and their applications to physics and biology.
• Applications of differential geometry to physics.
• Applied stochastic processes.
• Fluid dynamics, turbulence.

Grants and Fellowships

• Senior Faculty Summer Fellowship, University of Oklahoma,
  Finsler geometry, Morse families, and waves in anisotropic medium (Spring 2023).
• National Science Foundation grant, Division of Mathematical Sciences, Applied Mathematics program, Principal Investigator,
  Small-scale structures in dynamical systems: Accurate numerics and renormalization (9/2008-8/2012).
• Big XII Faculty Fellowship, Office of the Provost, University of Oklahoma (Spring 2010).
• Junior Faculty Research Program Grant, University of Oklahoma Research Council,
  Combined routes to complex behavior in dynamical systems: Numerical studies and renormalization (Summer 2008).
• Big XII Faculty Fellowship, Office of the Provost, University of Oklahoma,
  Studies of universality in transition to chaos (Fall 2007).
• National Science Foundation grant, Division of Mathematical Sciences, Applied Mathematics program, Principal Investigator,
  Regularity and scale invariant properties of critical dynamical systems: Harmonic analysis and numerical implementations (9/2004-8/2008).
• Rackham Faculty Fellowship, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,
  Fourier and wavelet methods for analysis of the regularity and fractal properties of functions (Summer 2003).

Awards

• Regents' Award for Superior Teaching, University of Oklahoma (April 2020).
• Nancy Scofield Hester Presidential Professorship, University of Oklahoma (April 2014).
• Irene Rothbaum Award for Outstanding Assistant Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Oklahoma (April 2009).
• First prizes at the Bulgarian National Physics Olympiads for University Students, Sofia, Bulgaria (May 1987, May 1986).
• XIV International Physics Olymipiad, Bucharest Romania - Special Award for the Mechanics problem (July 1983).
• Second place at the Bulgarian National Physics Olymipiad, Varna, Bulgaria (May 1983).
• First place at the Bulgarian National Physics Essay Competition for the essay Relativistic Thermodynamics, Sofia, Bulgaria (1983).
• Second place at the Bulgarian National Physics Essay Competition for the essay Basic Principles of the Special Theory of Relativity, Shumen, Bulgaria (1982).