John Mayberry
PhD, University of Southern California, 2008
MA, University of Southern California, 2004
BA, California State University Fullerton, 2003
My enjoyment of mathematics has always stemmed from a deep love of discovery. As an instructor, I strive to share that joy with my students while helping them develop a deeper understanding of mathematics and a stronger aptitude for solving real-world problems. Over my 15+ years as an educator, I鈥檝e found that I often learn as much from my students as they learn from me. I enjoy experimenting with new ways of organizing my courses to encourage more inquiry-based learning鈥攖hough I鈥檒l admit, not every experiment goes according to plan!
My favorite part of teaching is getting to know my students鈥攖heir interests, their passions, and how they see the world. This helps me create a classroom atmosphere where they feel comfortable taking an active role in their own learning. Mathematics is not a passive discipline; students learn best when they can ask questions freely, explore ideas collaboratively, and engage in meaningful discussion with both their instructor and their peers.
Every course presents its own set of challenges. Teaching a wide range of courses at all levels has taught me the importance of flexibility and adaptability鈥攎eeting students where they are, and adjusting my methods to support their individual needs.
Becoming a good teacher, like excelling at anything, is a continual process of growth and reflection. I鈥檓 grateful to be part of a university that supports and encourages that journey鈥攆or me and for all its faculty.
As a statistician with a passion for applied probability, statistical modeling, and working across disciplines, I鈥檝e spent my career teaming up with researchers in fields from biology to orthopedics to sports. During my postdoc at Cornell, I collaborated with the Michor Lab at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to build mathematical models that explore how cancer evolves. More recently, I鈥檝e worked with the Thiemann Lab at the 黑料不打烊 on understanding insecticide resistance in mosquitoes, and with the Rivera and Hill Labs on gene regulation and butterfly ecology. I also partner with orthopedic surgeons at St. Joseph鈥檚, helping analyze everything from surgical techniques and pain medication side effects to access to care and patient satisfaction. In the world of sports, I鈥檝e analyzed water polo data for Team USA and helped Pacific鈥檚 men鈥檚 water polo team use data to improve both offensive and defensive efficiency. I鈥檓 also deeply interested in research on how students learn in higher education, particularly through collaborations with faculty in the Long School of Pharmacy. And currently, I鈥檓 working with the Dugoni School of Dentistry as a consulting statistician on an NIDCR grant focused on improving oral health care.
In addition, I鈥檝e overseen several undergraduate research projects at Pacific, including modeling the spread of beneficial alleles in diploid populations with Markov chains, using random graphs to simulate how influenza might spread on campus, building a water polo database system, and investigating the Markovian nature of water polo possessions. These days, I鈥檓 continuing to bring students into meaningful collaborations through my upper-division statistics courses鈥攚hether it鈥檚 helping graduate students at Dugoni analyze clinical data, teaming up with psychology faculty to investigate post-COVID student stressors, working with the City of Stockton鈥檚 Performance Analytics Division on police crime data through their open data initiative, or encouraging students to pursue their own projects (like predicting archery match outcomes). I鈥檓 always on the lookout for more students crazy enough to dive into the world of mathematical modeling鈥攁 mysterious land where every step pulls you deeper into the quicksand of uncertainty.
