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John Mayberry

Teaching Philosophy


My enjoyment of mathematics has always come first and foremost from my enjoyment of discovery. As an instructor of mathematics, I strive to share that joy with my students while working toward the ultimate goal of instilling in them a deeper understanding of mathematics as a whole and an increased aptitude for solving problems in their everyday life.

Throughout my 10 years as an educator, I have found myself learning as much from my students as I hope they learn from me. I love experimenting with new ways of organizing my courses to truly create a student-centered learning environment.

My favorite part about teaching is getting to know my students and understanding their individual interests and passions. This helps me create a classroom atmosphere in which they can feel comfortable becoming actively involved in their learning.

Mathematics is not a passive discipline and students learn best in an environment where they can feel free to ask questions and take part in discussions with their instructor and their classmates. Every course comes equipped with its own set of challenges, and teaching a wide variety of different courses at every level has taught me the importance of being able to adapt one's style and methods to better serve each student's individual needs.

Becoming a good teacher, like excelling at anything in life, is a continual process of growth and development. I am grateful for being a part of a university that encourages me and all other members of their faculty in this process!

Areas of Interest/Research


My primary research interests lie in the intersection of probability and mathematical biology, particularly in modeling processes in population genetics, evolutionary biology, and ecology. One of my primary interests for the past year and a half has been the analysis of stochastic evolutionary models for tumorigenesis and the onset of cancer, but I am always excited to hear about new problems from other disciplines that might lead to interesting mathematical models.

In addition, I have recently begun "crossing over to the dark side" of probability by doing some statistical consulting and data analysis.

Professional Affiliations


I am a member of the IMS (Institute of Mathematical Statistics) and the MAA (Mathematical Association of America) and have enjoyed previous membership in the AMS (American Mathematical Society) and SIAM (Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics) as well.

Recent Publications


Here are some of my recent publications and projects currently in progress:

  • Baxendale, P. and Mayberry, J. (2012) A spectral analysis of the sequence of firing phases in stochastic integrate-and-fire oscillators (in preparation).
  • Galal, S., Chan, E., Mayberry, J., Hargis, J., and Maker, J. (2012) Instructional Effectiveness and Student Perceptions of a Student Response System in a PharmD Practicum Course (in preparation).
  • Wood, J., Mayberry, J., and Priestly, J. (2012) Dental Student Prediction of Pediatric Patient Anxiety. J. Dent. Educ. (in preparation)
  • Mayberry, J., Hargis, J., Boles, L., Dugas, A., Meler, M., O'Neal, D. and Rivera, A. (2012) Exploring Teaching and Learning in Higher Education using an iTouch Mobile. Active Learning in Higher Ed. (accepted, 08/2011).
  • Durrett, R., Foo, J., Leder, K., Mayberry, J., and Michor, F. (2011) Intratumor heterogeneity in evolutionary models of tumor progression. Genetics. 188, 461-477.
  • Durrett, R. and Mayberry, J. (2011) Traveling waves of selective sweeps. Ann. Appl. Prob. 21, 699-744.
  • Arterberry, A., Fergus, D., Fogarty, E., Mayberry, J., Deitcher, D., Krauss, W. and Bass, A. (2011) Evolution of ligand specificity in vertebrate corticosteroid receptors. BMC Evolutionary Biology 11:14.
  • Durrett, R., Foo, J., Leder, K., Mayberry, J., and Michor, F. (2010) Evolutionary dynamics of tumor progression with random fitness values. Theoretical Population Biology 78, 54-66.
  • Durrett, R. and Mayberry, J. (2010) Evolution in predator-prey systems. Stochastic Process. Appl. 120, 1364-1392.
  • Mayberry, J. (2009) Gaussian perturbations of circle maps: a spectral approach. Ann. Appl. Prob. 19, 1143-1171.
  • Braun, D., Malagon, A., Mayberry, J. and Schlicker, S. (2005) A singular introduction to the geometry of the Hausdorff metric. II ME Journal Vol. 12, No. 3, 129-138.

Contact Information


John Mayberry, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics
Email Link Email — Website
Phone: 209.946.3166
Office: Classroom Building 103F 

University of the Pacific
3601 Pacific Avenue
Stockton, CA 95211