SigmaCamp Next 2025: Faculty

Alexander Brook is a biostatistician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Lecturer in Radiology in Harvard Medical School. He has a PhD in Applied Mathematics, and used to work in computer vision. Currently, his job is to work with clinical researchers to help them design their research, collect and analyze their data, and report the results.

Andrey is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Oxford University and has been at SigmaCamp since the very beginning. Andrey graduated from the University of Toronto in 2019 and completed his PhD in Mathematics at MIT in 2025. Andrey is always open to chat about math, physics, or computer science! He greatly enjoy board games, puzzles, square dancing, and contra. Andrey's research is in quantum computing and quantum information theory. He is investigating how to reformulate the study of quantum error-correcting codes by using graphs.

Hi I'm Tarika! I work in finance making pricing and predictive models. I have a master's in CS and bachelor's in mathematics from the University of Chicago and I like games + puzzles!

Dr. Teixeira has interests in both pure and applied Mathematics, as well as in Mathematics Education. In pure Mathematics, his main work is in the Functional Analysis field. He received his PhD from The University of Texas at Austin, advised by Dr. Edward Odell. Dr. Teixeira solved the problem of whether the set of S_α-Singular operators form an ideal. Currently, he studies structure of infinite-dimensional Banach Spaces.

In applied Mathematics, Dr. Teixeira has worked in developing tools to predict the results of future events. His tool can be successfully applied to predicting the outcome of sports events. Under this research line, Dr. Teixeira has advised graduate students in projects.

Dr. Teixeira has also been actively working in developing rigorous mathematical explanation for magic tricks and other recreational activities. So far, he has published and worked in relating topics such as Probability, Theory of Cyclic Groups, Linear Algebra, Coding Theory, Algorithms for Data Transmission, and more, with magic tricks. To this date, over 15,000 students have witnessed Dr. Teixeira perform and explain his “Mathemagics” tricks.

In Mathematics Education, Dr. Teixeira has also contributed to researches regarding how college students may mature quantitative reasoning abilities.

Boris is a research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), more than fulfilling the stereotypical physicist mold of branching out to other fields. Boris obtained his PhD in theoretical physics from Cornell University with a focus on applications of information theory to modeling complex systems. Some of his recent projects have included the evaluation of NBA basketball player positioning and reformulating the mathematical underpinnings of residential segregation. Boris is (virtually always) happy to argue, debate, or discuss anything!

I am currently a grad student studying quantum gravity and string theory, primarily based at Stanford University but also spending a lot of time at the University of Cambridge in the UK. My primary research interests are in how the fabric of spacetime emerges from strongly interacting chaotic quantum systems, and in the nature of black hole microstates within these systems. At Sigma this year I will teach two semilabs - one on Cosmology (the study of the history and eventual fate of our universe) and one on black holes and how we think about them from both a classical and a quantum perspective.

I am always very approachable, especially if you want to chat about physics or hear me rant about tennis :-)

I obtained my PhD in 2022 in plasma physics and now I spend my “work” days as postdoc thinking about astrophysical fluid dynamics of planets, stars and compact objects. I love the Sigma energy and am excited to return this year. Back on our home planet, I enjoy hiking, improv comedy, and playing soccer under reasonable gravitational and thermodynamic conditions.

Lilianne R. Mujica-Parodi is Director of the Laboratory for Computational Neurodiagnostics, Baszucki Endowed Chair of Metabolic Neuroscience, and Professor in Stony Brook University's Department of Biomedical Engineering. She also holds academic appointments in the Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Program in Neuroscience, and Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Physics. In addition, she is Research Staff Scientist and Lecturer in the Department of Radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School (Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging).
Dr. Mujica-Parodi’s research interests focus on the extension of control theory to allostatic regulation of neural circuits and their interactions with other physiological systems, in health and disease.

My research focuses on epigenetic alterations – changes in gene regulation without altering the DNA sequence. Our genetic code, made up of over 3 billion nucleotide base pairs, is the blueprint of our body. However, the story doesn’t end with these base pairs. DNA is wrapped around proteins called histones, and their chemical modifications, along with changes to the DNA itself, create the epigenome. Unlike the stable genetic code, the epigenome is dynamic, constantly responding to factors like diet, stress, and environment, helping our cells to adapt.

Director of the Laboratory for Micro- and Nanotechnologies and Associate Professor in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Stony Brook University.

Helmut Strey is a Biophysicist who is interested in developing micro- and nanotechnologies for applications in basic and applied research. Specifically, his lab is working on 1) micropatterning techniques for single-cell studies, 2) study of gene circuit dynamics using probabilistic modeling, 3) developing software to simulate the human brain (Neuroblox.org). Helmut received the Dillon medal for research in Polymer Physics from the American Physical Society in 2003. He recently converted to Bayesianism and is passionate about making things, Soccer, Chess and Table Tennis.

Lena is a molecular biologist. The primary subject of her interest is the protein-DNA interactions, and Lena has studied many of them using such state-of-the-art techniques as X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and various spectroscopic methods. However, during her work, Lena came to the conclusion that even the most sophisticated device does not make you smarter: Despite the stunning technological progress, humans’ own brains are still their most powerful tool. The thing Lena likes the most is the company of intellectually like-minded people. Lena and her friends got together every summer to talk about science, art, and music. Then they realized that their group would be incomplete without a young generation, so they invited motivated and talented kids to join their company, which they called Sigma. We are inviting you to become a part of our community!

Alina received her PhD in synthetic organic chemistry with twice-Nobel Prize laureate K. Barry Sharpless in 2006. Her work on organic azides and click chemistry was part of Sharpless' 2022 Nobel Prize and has been applied worldwide in such diverse fields as drug discovery, materials science, and electronics. Since 2008, Alina has been working as a patent agent in a law firm, helping pharmaceutical, chemical, and biotech clients patent their inventions.

The focus of Mark Lukin's scientific interest are nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) - the molecules responsible for storage and transfer of hereditary information in living organisms. How does DNA get copied? What happens when DNA molecules breaks? To answer these, as well as many other questions, Mark needs to prepare artificial (modified) nucleic acids and their building blocks, the crazy compounds that normally do not exist in nature. The only way obtain them is to do a chemical synthesis, the thing Mark likes the most. Besides that, Mark loves music, history, Greek philosophy, and science fiction. When he was young, he loved to do simple but spectacular chemical experiments. Recently, he realized he still loves to do that.

Victor has a Ms.C. in physical chemistry and is an enthusiast of academic competitions, in which he competed at international level as a student. Currently, he is a chemistry teacher at Colegio Etapa, in Brazil, and an academic advisor for Chemistry Olympiads. He was the Brazilian team leader in four International Junior Science Olympiads and two Iberoamerican Chemistry Olympiads, and personally trained students that collectively won 39 international medals. Besides chemistry and teaching, Victor is also a cat aficionado. Don’t hesitate to ask him about his cats.

Hi there! I'm Nikita, a software engineer at Audible.

In my day job, I work on bringing audiobooks to people through voice assistants like Alexa. With recent advances in AI, it is incredibly exciting to be a part of the transformation of our day-to-day life from the inside.

I have a degree in Computer Science and Maths from Saint-Petersburg University, where I specialised in game theory and language processing. I'm also a skilled juggler and slackliner, and I love to share my knowledge and skills with others.

I earned my Master's degree in Architecture from Moscow State University of Civil Engineering and worked as an architect for seven years participating in residential, recreational, and urban development projects. Recently, I pivoted my career to Interface and User Experience Design, following my passion for design, technology, and real-world problem-solving. In addition to my professional pursuits, I also teach art to children from first to third grade at SchoolNova. This role allows me to share my love of creativity with the next generation and inspire them to express themselves through art. In my spare time, I enjoy biking, beachcombing, and taking pictures of accidental art.

Hello, I am Natalia, a portrait photographer on Long Island, New York, and image creator for small businesses and services.
I am proud to photograph SigmaCamp from 2014.
I love capturing human relations, characters, and emotions, especially when people learn new things, experience the joy of discovery, and share their life's passions.
All of those are abundant at SigmaCamp, that’s why I’m so excited to be part of it.