Biography

I received my BMath degree from Universidad Central de Venezuela, in my hometown Caracas, where I also worked as an Instructor teaching undergraduate math courses. Later on, I completed my PhD in pure mathematics at the University of Melbourne under the supervision of Arun Ram and Craig Westerland.

Before joining SUTD, I worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Western Ontario, and as a software developer for a start-up project in London, UK.

Education

• Ph.D. Science, University of Melbourne. 2013
• BMath, Universidad Central de Venezuela. 2009

Research Interests

My research to date sits at the interface of algebraic combinatorics and homotopy theory, more specifically in Schubert calculus problems. For my bachelor’s thesis I worked on topics of differential geometry and algebraic topology in the form of de Rham cohomology. I am currently also interested in the pedagogy of mathematics and exploring areas of applied math.

Selected Projects

• Gamifying student assessment – Pedagogy Innovations, SUTD (with Sergey Kushnarev)
• Math holograms app – Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme, SUTD

Selected Publications

• O. Ortiz, GKM theory for p-compact groups. Journal of Algebra, Vol. 427 (2015), pp. 426-454

Selected Awards

• Greg Hjorth biennial Memorial Prize, most outstanding postgraduate thesis in mathematics. University of Melbourne, 2014
• Melbourne International Research Scholarship. University of Melbourne, 2010 – 2013
• José Félix Ribas Medal, Academic Achievement. Ministry of the Presidential Office and National Youth Institute, Venezuela, 2005
• Semifinalist, 26th Venezuelan Mathematics Olympics. 2001