I started my higher education with a Bachelor's in Physics from the University in Tromsø, Norway. This is a three-year program with a heavy focus on math and classical physics, but it also includes a practical lab component. The teachers I had were great at inspiring young students by challenging them and always having an open office door for answering questions during the day. During this time I found that the classes I enjoyed the most were those relating to math, quantum physics, and computer science. This guided me to my Master's advisor Prof. Per Jakobsen in the department of Mathematics.
My Master thesis was a combination of everything I had enjoyed working on up to this point: Quantum field theory, Computer science, and Greens functions. I was very fortunate to find an advisor with such an intriguing project. It was through him that I was introduced to the idea of continuing my studies at the University of Arizona . In order to decide if this would be the right place for me I had to find a way to visit before I would apply to the school. Thus a friend and I planned the trip and found the funding for this journey to see Arizona. This is where I found my second advisor Prof. Jerome V. Moloney as the head of the Arizona Center for Mathematical Science (ACMS) .
When I first started at the Program of Applied Math I was also introduced to my coworkers in the ACMS and I got to experience how to work as part of a big group. The first few years here have been very enlightening for both educational and personal reasons, and I hope to be able to contribute to my field as much as my advisors have been able to contribute to me.
Isak Kilen