Tajkera Khatun

Research

Research Interests

• Mathematical Biology—Modeling biological systems and physiological processes
• Computational Biofluid Dynamics—Simulating fluid flow in biological environments
• Biomedical Applications—Tissue oxygenation and vascular modeling
• Biomechanics & Biofluid Mechanics—Analysis of biological flows and forces
• Ophthalmology & Vascular Health—Investigating blood circulation and oxygen transport in eye diseases

Education

Education

Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics (Mathematical Biology)
Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI), USA
January 2023 – Present

Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Applied Mathematics (M.Sc. Thesis Project)
VIsva-Bharati University, India
August 2016 – May 2018

Specializations:

• Biomathematics I & II
• Lie Group of Transformations & Ordinary, Partial Differential Equations

Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Mathematics (Honors)
University of Calcutta, India
July 2013 – June 2016

Minor Subjects:

• Physics
• Chemistry

Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.)
West Bengal University of Teachers' Training, Education Planning & Administration
July 2019 – June 2021

Higher Secondary Education
Chaumoha High School, India
June 2011 – May 2013

Research Experience

Ph.D. Research — Mathematical Modeling in Ophthalmology
January 2025 – Present

Advisor: Prof. Arciero, Indiana University Indianapolis

• Project: Glaucoma and Vascular Health
• Collaborating with ophthalmologists Dr. Alon Harris, Dr. Brent Siesky, and Dr. Alice Verticchio (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai), mathematician Dr. Brendan Fry (Metropolitan State University of Denver), and statistician George Eckert (Indiana University School of Medicine)
• Developing mathematical and computational models to study the relationship between vascular factors and glaucoma progression
• Contributing to a tissue oxygenation model that predicts retinal blood flow and oxygenation under healthy and glaucomatous conditions

M.Sc. Research Project
January 2018 – May 2018

Title: Luminal Flow Dictates the Distribution of Drug from a Stent
Supervisor: Prof. Prashanta Kumar Mandal, Visva-Bharati, India

• Modeled drug distribution from coronary stents using Navier-Stokes equations
• Implemented numerical solutions using finite difference methods in FORTRAN
• Investigated flow dynamics and drug diffusion mechanisms

Awards & Achievements

• Cowen Mathematical Sciences Scholarship, Indiana University Indianapolis, December 2024
• Qualified GATE (Mathematics) for PhD/MTech admissions in India, February 2021
• Aikyashree Scholarship, July 2019 – June 2021
  • West Bengal Minorities' Development & Finance Corporation, India
• Qualified Joint CSIR-UGC NET (Mathematics), India, December 2019; June 2020
• Swami Vivekananda Merit-Cum-Means Scholarship, August 2016 – May 2018
  • Government of West Bengal, India
• Post-Matric Scholarship, July 2013 – June 2016
  • West Bengal Minorities' Development & Finance Corporation, India

Academic Presentations

• A Model for Designing Intraocular Pressure Regulating Glaucoma Implants, IU Indianapolis Biomath Seminar, February 28, 2025
• Modeling the Dichotomy of the Immune Response to Cancer, IU Indianapolis Biomath Seminar, November 15, 2024
• Metabolic Blood Flow Regulation in a Hybrid Model of the Human Retinal Microcirculation, IU Indianapolis Biomath Seminar, October 11, 2024
• Transient Dynamics Mask the Resilience of Coral Reefs, IUPUI Biomath Seminar, April 24, 2024
• Detecting the Temporal Structure of Intermittent Phase Locking, IUPUI Biomath Seminar, January 31, 2024
• Machine Learning Identifies a Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease via Sleep-Wake EEG, IUPUI Biomath Seminar, April 14, 2023
• Recurrent Neural Networks for Dynamical Systems, IUPUI Biomath Seminar, March 10, 2023

Teaching & Mentoring Experience

Graduate Teaching Assistant
Indiana University Indianapolis
January 2023 – Present

• Recitation Leader for Math-I 165 Analytic Geometry and Calculus I, Fall 2024
• Teaching Assistant for Math-M 118 Finite Mathematics, Spring 2025
• Grader for Math-I 171 Multidimensional Mathematics, Spring 2023
• Grader for Math-I 166 Analytic Geometry and Calculus II, Spring 2023
• Grader for Math-I 261 Multivariate Calculus, Fall 2023
• Grader for Math-I 351 Elementary Linear ALgebra, Fall 2023 – Spring 2024
• Grader for Math-I 300 Logic and The Foundations of Algebra, Spring 2024
• Grader for Math-I 530 Function Complex Variable I, Spring 2024

Mathematics Tutor
Mathematics Assistance Center (MAC), Indiana University Indianapolis
August 2024 – Present

• Provide one-on-one tutoring for undergraduate mathematics courses
• Assist students with calculus, algebra, and differential equations

Technical & Programming Skills

• Programming: MATLAB, FORTRAN, C
• Mathematical Computing: LaTeX, Mathematica
• Numerical Methods: Finite Difference Methods, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
• Document Preparation: MS Word, Overleaf

Professional Experience

Entertainment Team Associate
Walmart, USA
November 2021 – December 2022

• Managed customer service and logistics for the entertainment department
• Developed interpersonal and organizational skills in a fast-paced environment

Extracurricular & Leadership Activities

• Member of Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM)
• Completed Spoken English Course, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, India
• Member of Departmental Fair Organizing Team, Visva-Bharati University, India
• Attended Personality Development Classes, Visva-Bharati University, India