Alexander Tepper

PhD Candidate in Mathematics,
University of Georgia

2025 Chateaubriand Research Fellow,
Centre International de Rencontres Mathématiques (CIRM) and Institut de Mathématiques de Marseille (I2M),
Marseille, France

alexander.tepper@uga.edu

My academic research is in low dimensional topology and singularity theory, under the mentorship of Professor David Gay. In particular, I am interested in finding topological conditions under which higher singularities may be avoided, and in constructing maps with nicely arranged singularities. In the Fall of 2025, I was a Chateaubriand Fellow at Centre International de Rencontres Mathématiques (CIRM) and Institut de Mathématiques de Marseille (I2M) in France, where I participated in a number of research activities with international collaborators. Before discovering my interest in topology, I published papers in the fields of functional analysis and applied probability theory.

My professional background includes extensive teaching experience at both the university and high school levels, as well as one year of industry research at Microsoft in computer graphics, procedural modeling, and synthetic image data generation. You can find my CV and Teaching Portfolio below.

I am also passionate about mathematical outreach and visualization, as well as applications of geometry, topology, and computer science to generative art, procedural design, and computer graphics. Over the course of 3 semesters, I led the development of “Spacing Out: Art and Topology Pop-Up Museum,” an NSF-funded exhibition featuring artworks depicting interesting topological spaces designed by UGA students from a diverse set of majors. The exhibition was on view in the Shirley McBay Science Library in the Fall of 2024. Read more here.

When I’m not working, I am usually drawing, making music, or spending time with my wife Francis and four pets.