Drew University Professor Receives National Science Foundation Grant

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Hunt is an assistant professor at the College of William & Mary
September 2022 – Greg Hunt C’13 is taking the experiences he had with Drew University faculty as a student and applying them as a professor at the College of William & Mary.

“At Drew I had the opportunity to have close interaction with interested faculty,” said Hunt. “This fostered a rich and rewarding educational experience for myself. My interest in teaching comes back to these rewarding experiences.”

After graduating from Drew as a math and computer science double major, Hunt enrolled in a doctoral program in statistics at the University of Michigan. He earned his MA and PhD and joined the Department of Mathematics at William & Mary where he has been an assistant professor for the last four years.

He tries to pay forward the engaged mentorship he received at Drew.

“As a faculty member, I try to provide the next generation of students with the kind of supportive teaching and mentoring that has shaped the teacher and researcher I am today,” he said. “I believe that taking an active interest in students and their goals is a centrally important role faculty can play in the development of students as researchers, professionals, and future leaders.”

Hunt pointed to multiple Drew faculty members as being prime examples he has tried to emulate.

“Sarah Abramowitz, [John H. Evans Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science], convinced me to be a mathematics major and introduced me to the world of statistics. She also introduced me to Jon Kettenring, [RISE fellow], who very directly is responsible for where I am today and for what kind of statistician I am.”

Hunt spoke of his experience working with Kettenring in Drew’s unique RISE program, which brings undergraduate students and retired STEM industry professionals together in a research lab setting.

“Working with Jon for several years digging deep into principal components analysis and the singular value decomposition is undoubtedly one of the best and most useful things I have done in my education.”

Hunt added that he learned how to be approachable from Chris Apelian, professor of mathematics; how to show enthusiasm—and impress his students with quick mental math—from Alan Candiotti; and how to impart a passion for course material from Barry Burd, professor of mathematics and computer science.

Now, Hunt can pull from these examples and relationships to live out the goal of developing our future researchers, professionals, and leaders.