Harvard University, SEAS
Room 312, Pierce Hall
29 Oxford St.
Cambridge, MA
02139
Educational Background
I received my PhD in mathematics from MIT in May 2008. I worked under Professor Bazant in the field of dense granular flow for three-and-a-half years and have enjoyed a wonderful collaboration with fellow graduate students Chris H. Rycroft and Jaehyuk Choi. Professor Arshad Kudrolli of Clark University Physics has also been a strong influence in my research and more recently, so has MIT Mechanical Engineering Professor Lallit Anand and his students in the Solid Mechanics & Materials Laboratory. I was co-organizer of the Simple Person's Applied Math Seminar for the 06-07 school year and am a member of SIAM, APS, and AMS.
In 2003 I graduated from UC Berkeley with a BS in Engineering Physics, a minor in Mathematics, and a 4.0 cumulative GPA. The Engineering Physics program was an excellent match for me, as my interests, even to this day, remain highly interdisciplinary. I completed an upper division physics education (quantum, classical, statistical) and took a large variety of advanced engineering courses throughout many engineering disciplines covering topics from fluid mechanics to semiconductors to nuclear radiation. Furthermore, the program introduced me to the field of physical mathematics through coursework with renowned applied mathematicians Alexandre J. Chorin and L. Craig Evens. Professor Evans became a mentor-figure later in my undergraduate years and helped me reach the conclusion to add a math minor and pursue my physical science interests through graduate study in applied mathematics.
Growing Up On The Stage
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| Ken backstage before a performance with the MIT Musical Theater Guild. |
I am from the Bay Area of California and for a scientist, I have had an unusual upbringing. My mother is the founder of Stars 2000 teen musical theater company where she is the producer, choreographer, and music director for several musicals per year. I was raised performing in shows and the stage is like a second home for me. In fact, the name "Ken Kamrin" was chosen for its alliterative appeal on a marquee. This theatrical side of my personality bleeds through when I deliver lectures, presentations, or recitations. My father, when not running Bacon East Pharmacy, is an avid singer and jazz enthusiast and my sister still finds time away from law to perform in musicals. Acting, singing, and dancing are the mainstays of the Kamrin family vitality and it doesn't take much to get us to break into harmony!
My upbringing as a fine artist has contributed to my capabilities as a scientist. I believe advancements in physical science start with a streak of creative "out of the box" thinking in much the same way that a symphonic composer makes a leap of progress. My science and mathematics background sets strong limits on what can be possible, but within these bounds, my artistic side is always dreaming up new ideas for the subtle ways in which a physical process may be taking place.