Headshot of Hwayeon Ryu

Hwayeon Ryu

Associate Professor of Mathematics

Department: Mathematics and Statistics

Office and address: Duke, Office 307D 2320 Campus Box Elon, NC 27244

Phone number: (336) 278-6451

Professional Expertise

Mathematical Biology, Neural Networks, Modeling COVID-19 Dynamics

Brief Biography

Dr. Ryu will be on a sabbatical leave for 2025-2026. 

Dr. Ryu joined Elon University in 2019 after working at the University of Hartford for three years. She received both M.A. and Ph.D. in mathematics from Duke University. 

Dr. Ryu's research interests are focused on mathematical modeling and analysis of dynamical systems arising from other disciplines, like systems biology, neuroscience, immunology, epidemiology, or sociology. Her work is currently supported by the National Science Foundation research grant, DMS-2151990. She also has a great passion for the development of a bridge curriculum and program between mathematics and biology. To learn about her research projects, check out her website.

Links

News & Notes

Education

  • Ph.D. in Mathematics, Duke University, NC, 2014
  • M.A. in Mathematics, Duke University, NC 2011
  • B.S. in Mathematics, Korea University, South Korea, 2008 
  • Study Abroad, University of Pennsylvania, PA, 2006-2007

Employment History

  • (With Tenure) Associate Professor of Mathematics, Elon University, NC, 2024 - Present
  • (Tenure-Track) Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Elon University, NC, 2019 - 2024
  • (Tenure-Track) Assistant Professor of Mathematics, University of Hartford, CT, Jan 2017-2019

Courses Taught

  • MTH 1510 Calculus I, F19, S20, F20, F22, S23, F23, S24, F24
  • MTH 2510 Calculus II, F24
  • MTH 2410 Discrete Structures, F19, F22
  • MTH/STS 3410 Probability Theory & Statistics, F20
  • MTH 3510 Differential Equations, S23, F23, F26
  • MTH/CSC 4450 Numerical Analysis, S20, S24
  • MTH 4510 Fourier Analysis S25, S27
  • MTH 4999 Independent Research, each semester

Research

Undergraduate Research Mentoring Experience at Elon

  • Paige Minsky (Applied Math '22), William Waggoner (Applied Math/Finance '22), Sophia Kaup (Applied Math/CS '23) and Danielle DaSilva (Applied Math/Econ '24) - "Modeling COVID-19 dynamics" S21
  • Christopher Boyette (Applied Math/Econ '23) - "Stability Analysis of an SVEIR Epidemic Model with Temporary Immunity and Saturation Incidence Rate" S20 - F20

Grants Awarded

External Grant

  • NSF-AWM Mentoring Travel Grant (June 2025, $5,000): Susanna Röblitz (Host Mentor) at the U. of Bergen, Norway.
  • NSF DMS-2151990 (2022-2025, $299,998): Mathematical Modeling of Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2, (sole PI).
  • Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics (CURM) grant (2021-2022, $7,100): Mathematical Modeling of COVID-19 Dynamics (Co-PI: Dr. John Gemmer at Wake Forest Univ.).
  • AIM SQuaREs Collaboration Grant (2021-2024): Modeling Phage Interaction with Bacteria and Immune System (Co-PIs: S. Bañuelos at CSU at Channel Islands, M.A. Horn and Q. Huang at Case Western Reserve U., A. Nandi at U. of Michigan, and R. Segal at Virginia Commonwealth U.).
  • AWM Mentoring Travel Grant (June 2023, $5,000): Susanna Röblitz (Host Mentor) at the U. of Bergen, Norway.
  • AIM SQuaREs Collaboration Grant (2019-2022, approx. $20,000 per year): A Mathematical Model of Macrophage Differentiation in the Tumor Microenvironment (Co-PIs: Kamila Larripa at Humboldt State U., and Anna Frank and Susanna Röblitz both at U. of Bergen, Norway).
  • IAS Women and Mathematics Ambassador Program Grant (2018-2019, $3,000): Co-organizing one-day regional conference ("Beyond the Binary" on April 27, 2019) to promote the diversity in mathematics and create academic bonds among female-identifying students. 
  • NSF-MAA StatPREP Grant, DUE-1626337 (2017-2021, $57,961.45): Serving as a hub leader to help organize the regional StatPREP workshop at the University of Hartford during 2018 and 2019 summers. StatPREP is a MAA program supporting the widespread use of data-centered methods and pedagogies in introductory statistics courses. 
  • AIM SQuaREs Collaboration Grant (2018-2021): Network Structure and Oscillation Patterns in Neural Models with Time Delay (Co-PIs: S.A. Campbell at U. of Waterloo, V. Booth at U. of Michigan, J. Miller at Bellarmine U., Z. Teymuroglu at Rollins College and X. Wang at Washington State U.).
  • NSF US Junior Oberwolfach Travel Grant, DMS-1641185 (Oct 2017, $1,000): Mathematical Modeling in Systems Biology at Oberwolfach Research Institute for Mathematics in Germany.

Internal Grant at Elon

Publications

Published (*Corresponding author; ** Undergraduate co-author)

16. P. Ngoun**, N. Alvarez**, A. Awad**, H. Ryu*. Immune Dysregulation in COVID-19: Mathematical Modeling of the Within-Host Dynamics, Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering, 23(4): 987-1049, 2026.

15. H. Ryu*, S. Röblitz, K. Larripa, and A. S. Frank. Modeling Bistable Dynamics Arising from Macrophage-Tumor Interactions in the Tumor Microenvironment, Mathematical Biosciences, 389:109534, 2025.

14. Z. Yu, T. Luong, S. Bañuelos, A. Sue, M.A. Horn, H. Ryu, D. Roach, R. Segal, and Q. Huang. Leveraging Mathematical Modeling Framework to Guide Regimen Strategy for Phage Therapy, PLOS Complex Systems, 1(3): e0000015, 2024.

13. A. J. Frank, K. Larripa, H. Ryu, and S. Röblitz, Macrophage phenotype transitions in a stochastic
gene-regulatory network model, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 575:111634, 2023.

12. J. Miller, H. Ryu, X. Wang, V. Booth, and S.A. Campbell. Patterns of synchronization in 2D networks of inhibitory neurons, Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, 16:903883, 2022. (listed as co-first author).

11. H. Ryu* and B. Zhu. Creating and assessing an academic learning community between biology and statistics courses, PRIMUS, 32(3): 416-431, 2022.

10. H. Ryu*, J. Miller, Z. Teymuroglu, X. Wang, V. Booth, and S.A. Campbell. Spatially localized cluster solutions in inhibitory neural networks, Mathematical Biosciences, 336:108591, 2021.

9. A. J. Frank, K. Larripa, H. Ryu, R. G. Snodgrass, and S. Röblitz, Bifurcation and sensitivity analysis reveal key drivers of multistability in a model of macrophage polarization, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 509:110511, 2021.

8. S. Bañuelos, H. Gulbudak, M.A. Horn, Q. Huang, A. Nandi, H. Ryu, and R. Segal. Investigating the impact of combination phage and antibiotic therapy: a modeling study. In R. Segal, B. Shtylla, and S. Sindi, editors, Using Mathematics to Understand Biological Complexity: From Cells to Populations, Association for Women in Mathematics Series, vol. 22, 111-134. Springer, 2021. (all authors with equal contribution).

7. H. Ryu* and S.A. Campbell. Stability, bifurcation and phase-locking of time-delayed excitatory-inhibitory neural networks, Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering, 17(6):7931-7957, 2020.

6. H. Ryu* and S.A. Campbell. Geometric analysis of synchronization in neuronal networks with global inhibition and coupling delays, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 337(2153), 2019.

5. J. Miller, H. Ryu*, Z. Teymuroglu, X. Wang, V. Booth, and S.A. Campbell. Clustering in inhibitory neural networks with nearest neighbor coupling, In A. Radunskaya and T. Jackson, editors, Applications of Dynamical Systems in Biology and Medicine, The IMA Volumes in Mathematics and its Applications, vol. 158, pages 99-121. Springer, 2015.

4. H. Ryu and A.T. Layton. Feedback-mediated dynamics in a model of coupled nephrons with compliant short loop of Henle, AMS Contemporary Mathematics, Biological Fluid Dynamics: Modeling, Computations, and Applications, 628:209-237, 2014.

3. H. Ryu and A.T. Layton. Tubular fluid flow and distal NaCl delivery mediated by tubuloglomerular feedback in the rat kidney, Journal of Mathematical Biology, 68(4):1023-1049, 2014.

2. H. Ryu and A.T. Layton. Effect of tubular inhomogeneities on feedback-mediated dynamics of a model of a thick ascending limb, Mathematical Medicine and Biology, 30(3):191-212, 2013.

1. A.T. Layton, P. Pham, and H. Ryu. Signal transduction in a compliant short loop of Henle, International Journal for Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering, 28(3):369-380, 2012.

Presentations

Selected (Recent) Oral Presentations (* denotes Invited Talks)

  • Queensland University of Technology Colloquium, Brisbane, Australia (upcoming), May 2026
    TBD*

  • University of Melbourne Math Biology Seminar, Melbourne, Australia (upcoming), May 2026
    TBD*

  • Sydney Mathematical Research Institute Colloquium, Sydney, Australia (upcoming), Mar 2026
    TBD*

  • Joint Mathematics Meetings, Washington, DC, Jan 2026
    Bistable Dynamics Arising from Macrophage-Tumor Interactions in the Tumor Microenvironment*
  • Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research, Nov 2025
    Immune Dysregulation in COVID-19: Mathematical Modeling of the Within-Host Dynamics
  • College of Wooster MCS Colloquium, Wooster, OH, Sep 2025
    Mathematical Modeling of the Host Immune Dynamics for Infection*
  • MAA MathFest Invited Paper Session, Sacramento, CA, Aug 2025
    Mathematical Modeling of SARS-CoV-2 Reveals Immune Cell Dysfunction*
  • SIAM Annual Meeting 2025, Montreal, Canada, Jul 2025
    Mathematical Modeling of SARS-CoV-2 Reveals Immune Cell Dysfunction*
  • Joint Mathematics Meetings, Seattle, WA, Jan 2025
    Mathematical Modeling of Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2*
  • AAC&U Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference, Arlington, VA, Nov 2024
    Fostering and Assessing Conceptual Understanding in Early STEM Courses
  • MAA MathFest, Indianapolis, IN, Aug 2024
    Project-Based Learning to Enhance Student Critical Thinking
  • SMB Annual Meeting, Seoul, South Korea, July 2024
    Mathematical Modeling of Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2*

Professional Activities

To Academic Community

  • Associate Editor: MAA FOCUS, June 2020 - June 2022
  • Co-Organizer: SMB 2019 Annual Meeting Minisymposium (with S.A. Campbell) Jul 2019
                         SMB 2018 Annual Meeting Minisymposium (with B. Fry)  Jul 2018
  • Co-Organizer: JMM Annual Meeting AMS Invited Session 2019, 2020, 2021
  • Co-Organizer: SIAM Life Sciences 2018 session (with S.A. Campbell) Aug 2018
  • Hub Leader: MAA StatPREP Hartford Workshop 2018 - 2019
  • Judge: Undergraduate/Graduate Students Presentation at SACNAS 2016, 2017, 2018
  • Judge: Student Paper Sessions at MAA MathFest Aug 2016, Jul 2017
  • Reviewer: Application for SACNAS Travel Scholarship and Research Presentation 2017 - Present
                    Proposal for Professional Development and Scientific Symposia Sessions
  • Judge: Undergraduate Poster Presentation at JMM 2017 Jan 2017
  • Co-Organizer: MAA Project NExT Session at JMM 2017 Jan 2017
  • Judge: Graduate Poster Presentation at AWM Session during SIAM Annual Meeting Jul 2016

At Elon

  • Attendee for (virtual) Inclusive Excellence in STEM institute, June 2021

Professional Memberships

Service Activities

Awards