Department of Mathematics and Physics

New for upcoming Fall 2025

Mr. Juan Rafael Munoz, Jr., joined the Department of Mathematics and Physics as a visiting lecturer of physics in Fall 2025. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Munoz, Jr., served as an adjunct instructor of physics. Mr. Muñoz graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) with a Master of Science in Physics. During this time, he communicated his research with NASA’s Juno mission to a range of audiences with oral presentations, posters, and a peer-reviewed paper on electron conics at Jupiter in the Journal of Geophysical Sciences: Space Physics journal providing original work that will help future researchers better understand Jupiter’s magnetosphere. His current research interests include PCB design, rocket design, and 3D printing. Mr. Muñoz has taught physics labs and lectures at the Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) since Monday, June 3rd, 2024. He has also represented TAMIU at various events throughout Laredo, demonstrating physics experiments to people of all ages. He has helped Mr. Peter Davis with the monthly stargazing events open to the public by operating his personal collection of telescopes and binoculars. Finally, Mr. Muñoz has participated in international rocket competitions at the Spaceport America Cup during the years 2022-2023, demonstrating a strong desire to apply physics concepts into real world engineering projects. When not teaching classes or designing cool rockets, Mr. Muñoz photographs various celestial objects with his telescopes and iPhone, plays the guitar, and participates in art projects in downtown Laredo such as Third Space, occurring every Thursday at the Laredo Center of Performing Arts.

New for upcoming Fall 2025

This Fall 2025, the Department of Mathematics and Physics welcomes Dr. Aneer Lamichhane. Dr. Lamichhane completed his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA. His dissertation, entitled "First-principles density functional theory studies on perovskite materials," was centered on quantum mechanical computations involving various types of perovskite materials to investigate and predict their structural, electronic, elastic, vibrational, and optical properties. Prior to his affiliation with Texas A&M International University, he held the position of full-time Lecturer in Physics within the Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences at Western Colorado University since the year 2022. There, he instructed courses such as calculus-based physics, classical mechanics, and multiple laboratory courses. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he also served as a supervisor for undergraduate research projects. His experience in both research and teaching makes him a valuable addition to our faculty.

Memorial Held in Honor of Dr. Juan Homero Hinojosa’s Legacy!

Dr. Juan H. Hinojosa, Professor of Physics in the Department of Mathematics and Physics, passed away on December 23, 2024. Dr. Hinojosa joined the TAMIU faculty in September 1991, serving as Dean of the former College of Science and Technology and Chair of the former Department of Natural Sciences at TAMIU. Prior to his tenure at TAMIU, he taught at The University of Texas at El Paso, Johns Hopkins University, and Towson State University in Maryland. Dr. Hinojosa held a B.Sc. in Physics and Mathematics from Brown University and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Geophysics from Johns Hopkins University. He grew up in Nuevo Laredo and Eagle Pass, and his academic journey and professional contributions were marked by a passion for advancing the field of geophysics. The funeral arrangements were held at Hillside Funerals & Cremations; 310 W. Hillside Rd.; Laredo, TX 78041.

On Friday, May 2, 2025, the COAS Office of the Dean Brown bag Series hosted a memorial in room AIC 127 to honor the life and legacy of the late Dr. Juan Homero Hinojosa, Professor of Physics in the Department of Mathematics and Physics at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU), Laredo, Texas.

Dr. Hinojosa served TAMIU for over three decades in various key leadership roles, including as Dean of the former College of Science and Technology and as Chair of the Department of Natural Sciences. His sudden passing deeply impacted the TAMIU community and beyond. The event, co-organized by the COAS Space Exploration and Aviation program and the Department of Mathematics and Physics, served as a heartfelt tribute to Dr. Hinojosa’s many contributions, his distinguished career, and, above all, his valued friendship and collegial spirit. The memorial included remarks and tributes from faculty, students, and friends:

Dr. Robert W. Haynes, Regents Professor and Regents Fellow (2021–2022), shared personal reflections on his friendship with Dr. Hinojosa and recited a poem in his memory. The event concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Marcus A. Ynalvez, who expressed gratitude to all in attendance for joining in this final Spring 2025 COAS OD Brown bag to honor Dr. Hinojosa’s enduring legacy.

May his legacy last forever!

Dr. Qingwen Ni Has Retired!

A TAMIU longtime Professor of Physics, Dr. Qingwen Ni, retired at the end of January 2025. Dr. Qingwen Ni carried out some important research projects funded by NIH, NSF, and TAMIU on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance research, applications, and development. He was also awarded the SOY of the University in 2009 and 2015, respectively. Dr. Ni thoroughly deserves this recognition for his work as a faculty in the Department of Mathematics and Physics. We have witnessed how he has constantly guided students either in their coursework or research projects, including honors projects, over the years. He has brought funding and equipment for the University through his grants. Dr. Ni has more than twenty years of experience in NMR research and development. He has applied and developed NMR techniques and computational analysis methodology for bone related research and for other material research. Dr. Ni has published a chapter of book and about 25 peer-reviewed journal articles, of which 2 were published this year. He holds about 7 U.S. and international patents. He has received three (3) NSF Major Research Instrument Grant awards (two as PI and one as Co-PI), and these have given TAMIU a complete NMR spectrometer-low field NMR, a high field NMR, and a high field NMR with solid state probe.

Wishing you a long, happy, and fulfilling retirement, Dr. Ni!

New for upcoming Fall 2024

In Fall 2024, the Department of Mathematics and Physics welcomes Dr. Mahanthesh Basavarajappa. Dr. Basavarajappa completed his Ph.D. at Kuvempu University, India. His thesis, titled "Effects of suspended particles on flow and heat transfer of different fluids," focused on developing mathematical models and methods to investigate the impact of suspended nanoparticles on various flow problems occurring in practical applications. Before joining Texas A&M International University, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley since 2021. There, he concentrated on hydrodynamic instability issues and spectral methods, specifically on nonlinear energy stability analysis in non-Newtonian fluids. From 2016 to 2021, he also served as an Assistant Professor at Christ University in Bangalore, India. His experience in both research and teaching makes him a valuable addition to our faculty. 

New for upcoming Fall 2020

In Fall 2020, we welcome Dr. Muhammad Mohebujjaman for the Department of Mathematics and Physics. Dr. Mohebujjaman completed his Ph.D. in Applied and Computational Mathematics at Clemson University, Clemson, SC. His thesis title was "Efficient Numerical Methods for Magnetohydrodynamic Flow". Before joining Texas A&M International University, Mohebujjaman worked as a Post-doctoral Associate in the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA. He played there an active role in the modeling group for building high-temperature superconducting magnet for a new generation tokamak SPARC. In 2017-2019, he worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor in both the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics at Virginia Tech, Virginia, VA. While at Virginia Tech, besides teaching mathematics courses he developed reduced-order modeling techniques for the fluid flow simulations and their uncertainty quantification. He also worked as a full-time lecturer at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh from 2010-2011.

New for upcoming Fall 2018

In Fall 2018, we welcome Drs. Saqib Hussain and Norma Saikali for the Department of Mathematics and Physics. Dr. Hussain graduated with a Ph.D. in Applied Science (Computational Science Track) from University of Arkansas at Little Rock, AR 72204 in May 2018. Dr. Hussain’s thesis was based on “the study of second order elliptic equations with mixed boundary conditions using weak Galerkin finite element method and established the error estimates and developed the MATLAB code to verify theoretical results.” Dr. Saikali comes from Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 after receiving a Ph.D. in August 2018 for her dissertation titled “Ehrhart Theory on Normal Affine Semigroup Rings and its Application to Hilbert-Kunz Functions.” The Department wishes them best in their future endeavors in succeeding as mathematics faculty in the University.

Additionally, Drs. Runchang Lin and Hongwei Wang are congratulated for their promotions this year. Dr. Lin is promoted to full professor, and whereas, Dr. Wang is promoted to be an assistant professor of mathematics.

Dr. Qingwen Ni selected as University Scholar of the Year (SOY)

Congratulations on the selection of Dr. Qingwen Ni as this years' University Scholar of the Year (SOY). Dr. Ni thoroughly deserves this recognition for his work as a faculty in the Department of Mathematics and Physics. We have witnessed how he has constantly guided students either in their coursework or research projects, including honors projects, over the years. He has brought funding and equipment for the University through his funded grants. Dr. Ni has more than twenty years of experience in NMR research and development. He has applied and developed NMR techniques and computational analysis methodology for bone related research and for other material research. Dr. Ni has published about 23 peer reviewed papers including a book chapter. He holds about 7 U.S. and international patents. He has received three (3) NSF Major Research Instrument Grant awards (two as PI and one as Co-PI), and these have given TAMIU a complete NMR spectrometer-low field NMR, a high field NMR, and a high field NMR with solid state probe. He has also been nominated for the SOY of the University in 2009.

Grants Awarded to DMPS Faculty

National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant #11428103. PI: R.Lin; Co-PI: Q. Zou. Jan. 2015 - Dec. 2016, CN ¥200,000 National Science Foundation, DMS #1217268. PI: R. Lin. Sep. 2012 - Aug. 2016, USD $159,357

Rohitha Goonatilake, Katie D. Lewis, and Runchang Lin, (DUE 1339993) Robert Noyce Mathematics Teacher Scholarship Program (TAMIU-NMTSP) from January 1, 2014 and expires December 31, 2018 for $1,199,971.00 awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

David Milovich, Real-Time Frequency-Selective Fading Channel Realization Generator, 2015-2016, $42,356, subcontract with Welkin Sciences for project funded by Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

The National Science Foundation MRI (Major Research Instrument) project entitled: "Acquisition of a Solids Probe for a 400 MHz NMR Spectrometer to Enhance Research and Training at Texas A&M International University," is under the direction of Qingwen Ni, Hari D. Mandal, Alfred K. Addo-Mensah. This award grand (NSF 1530827) of $59.840 starts September 1, 2015 and ends August 31, 2018.

Creation of the School of Engineering

The former Department of Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics (EMAP) has been split to create the School of Engineering (SOEN) and the Department of Mathematics and Physics (DMPS) effective Spring 2015.

Webpages:
Department of Mathematics and Physics (DMPS) - tamiu.edu/coas/dmps/ School of Engineering (SOEN) - tamiu.edu/coas/soen/

Dr. Rohitha Goonatilake (e-mail: harag@tamiu.edu) will continue as a department chair, heading up the Department of Mathematics and Physics. Dr. Guillermo C. Dominguez (e-mail: GuillermoC.Dominguez@tamiu.edu) is the Director of the School of Engineering.

MS in Mathematics - Applied Statistics Track

Development of the MS in Mathematics-Applied Statistics track has taken place this summer. Several students have already enrolled in the courses for this upcoming Fall semester. With the rapidly increasing needs for dealing with big data, students can choose a combination of courses from both mathematics and applied statistics that can be strategically aligned to their background and career goals. Our small class sizes provide close personal attention from our active research-oriented faculty members. Graduates can pursue job opportunities such as actuaries, statisticians, or teachers in secondary schools or two-year colleges. Graduates can also transition to doctoral programs elsewhere.

Online Astronomy Courses

Effective Fall 2016, both the Astronomy course and its corresponding laboratory will be offered online. The pilot project conducted for the Astronomy lab offered this summer has been a success. Both Dr. Juan H. Hinojosa and Mr. Peter S. Davis are commended for undertaking the online delivery of the course and the lab, respectively. This is the first time a science course sequence is offered online at TAMIU to accommodate time constraints faced by students taking on the dual role of parent and employee.

Feng pursues Doctoral degree at University of Alabama

Mr. Hongsong Feng, a recent graduate from the MS in Mathematics program, has been admitted by the Ph.D. in Mathematics program of University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and will start the program in fall 2016. Mr. Feng has been working in numerical approximation of a nerve conduction differential equation under the supervision of Dr. Runchang Lin. One joint paper by them has been published in the Journal of Dynamics of Continuous, Discrete and Impulsive Systems-Series B.

Dr. Lin to visit the Center for Computation & Technology at LSU

Dr. Runchang Lin will visit the Center for Computation & Technology at Louisiana State University in Fall 2016, during his Faculty Development Leave. He will work with Dr. Susanne Brenner and her team in a project on singularly perturbed fourth order problems. These problems are from the optimal control theory and have very important applications in science and engineering. Dr. Lin’s research evolves on investigating numerical and computational mathematics, in particular, perturbation problems.