Kelly Maggs

Kelly is a mathematics student working in Topological Data Analysis (TDA), a rapidly evolving field that is re-contextualising the classical mathematics of shape in modern data. As a PhD candidate under the supervision of Dr. Kathryn Hess, Kelly will be developing TDA-based tools to understand the cyclic behavior of gene expression as it relates to the menstrual cycle. Significantly, such genes are strongly linked to the development of skin and breast cancer.

He is passionate about interdisciplinary collaborations that utilize mathematics for the social good. He has worked across diverse fields such as image analysis, pure algebraic topology, environmental data analysis, cyber-security, and digital audio signal processing.

He earned his BSc from the University of Melbourne and completed his honors year at the Australian National University under the supervision of renowned TDA practitioners Dr. Vanessa Robins and Dr. Katherine Turner.  After presenting his honors work at several international and domestic conferences, Kelly was awarded a significant Australian Government Scholarship to undertake his Masters, working on inventing new mathematics to study problems in computer vulnerability analysis.

Kelly is looking forward to the challenge of learning the requisite new skills in biology and contributing to the global effort towards cancer prevention.