James Baker

Researched abundancy indices and perfect/tri-perfect numbers, a topic within Number Theory Discovered a new infinite class of abundancy outlaws, a rational number that is not within the image of the abundancy function Stated and provided evidence for a new conjecture that has many strong consequences including strong constraints on the existence of an odd perfect number

Student Researcher at Kenyon College Mathematics and Statistics Dept. (2024-06 – 2024-08)

• Researched abundancy indices and perfect/tri-perfect numbers, a topic within Number Theory
• Discovered a new infinite class of abundancy outlaws, a rational number that is not within the image of the abundancy function
• Stated and provided evidence for a new conjecture that has many strong consequences including strong constraints on the existence of an odd perfect number
• Results presented a Kenyon College's Summer Poster Session and Kenyon College's Math Monday

Student Researcher at Texas Tech. University Mathematics and Statistics REU (2023-06 – 2023-08)

• Researched Protein-ligand binding classification and prediction
• Expanded upon a mathematical model, CDPA, in order to mathematically represent the structure and chemical properties of each ligand binding site.
• Results presented at Texas Tech and Kenyon College's Math Monday

Student Researcher at Belhaven University Chemistry and Physics Dept. (2020-11 – 2022-04)

• Researched computational chemistry and computed the bonding strength of Human Serum Albumin to certain ligands such as salicylic acid and warfarin using Quantum Chemical methods, particularly the program Psi4 and the functional M06-2X
• Presented findings at the Southeastern Regional Meeting (SERMACS) in Birmingham, Alabama on November 10-13, 2021

Student Researcher at Polymath Jr (2025-06 – 2025-08)

• Studied certain solvable lattice models and solved for their associated generating functions
• Formed a conjecture of a partial classification of a family of polynomials associated to lattice models indexed with two permutations and one partition

Class Tutor at Kenyon College Mathematics and Statistics Dept. (2025-08 – Present)

• Tutored linear algebra to a class of 15 for 4 hours a week

Peer Mentor at Kenyon College K-STEM Program (2023-08 – 2024-12)

• Met regularly with a first-year student interested in a STEM field to review progress on personal goals, discuss strategies to achieve goals, and to update goals to reflect changing ambitions and priorities.

B.A in Mathematics cum Laude (Dual Focus in Algebra and Analysis) – Kenyon College