Michael Lavigne

Michael Lavigne joined the math faculty at NCSSM’s Durham campus in August 2022 after four years of teaching at the undergraduate level. A native of New Orleans, he came to North Carolina in 2015 to pursue a Ph.D. in applied mathematics at NCSU after earning his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and Spanish at Tulane University. He then served as Visiting Assistant Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology from 2020-2022. During that time Michael also served as Assistant Director for the Southeast Center for Mathematics and Biology SCMB, where he was lead organizer for the Center’s annual symposium, undergraduate Modeling Accelerator, and community outreach initiatives. His work focuses on the mathematical modeling of complex bio-systems and espouses a philosophy of math-bio storytelling—using mathematics to narrate the “why” of a well-described biological “what”. His original Mathematical Biology course at GT was one of two in the College of Sciences to receive the Student Recognition in Teaching Excellence award. Outside of the classroom, Michael is an avid pianist, a lover of languages, and an amateur florist.