Dania Zantout
Lecturer of Mathematics
Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: MS American University of Beirut; PhD Clemson University
Research Areas: Automorphic forms, L-functions, Arithmetic Geometry
Dr. Dania Zantout earned her PhD in Mathematical Sciences from Clemson University in 2013. Her research interests lie broadly in the theory of automorphic forms and their L-functions which is an ideal meeting ground for analytical, algebraic, and geometrical techniques. In particular, her work used the geometry of moduli spaces in order to analytically describe cuspidal liftings from spaces of elliptic modular forms to spaces of Siegel modular forms. Her education also spans a BS in mathematics with a senior thesis in cryptography and an MS in pure mathematics with a thesis in complex analysis.
Dania brings a wealth of experience in teaching a wide variety of math courses (Calculus, Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential equations, Discrete Math, Abstract Algebra, Functional Analysis, and Number Theory) throughout her academic career that started in 2001 while conducting her MS training to her visiting assistant professor position in the school of mathematics and statistical sciences at Clemson University. This experience, combined with the breadth and depth of her PhD program, provided her with strong skills for teaching math courses at all undergraduate levels and for communicating mathematics to a culturally diverse student body. Her teaching pedagogy focuses on implementing research-informed instructional practices and evidence-based techniques in the successful delivery of content that ensures effective transfer of knowledge. Her student-centered approach involving critical thinking and a growth mindset model had been rewarded with three outstanding teaching awards at Clemson University (university-wide, from the department of mathematics, and from the college of engineering).
Her great enthusiasm for service includes being a faculty advisor for graduate students in developing effective teaching skills and being a research mentor for undergraduate students through the REU program. Dr. Zantout is enthusiastic about developing math outreach activities to serve the university and the community's vision towards STEM excellence based on her relevant experiences and observations in the USA.