Biography
Vinodh Kumar Chellamuthu is the Department Chair and an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Utah Tech University. He has mentored more than 60 undergraduate students across applied research projects in collaboration with business, industry, and government partners. His work advances experiential learning, applied research, and faculty–student partnerships that align with Utah Tech’s polytechnic mission.
Previous Teaching
Chellamuthu has extensive experience teaching a wide range of undergraduate mathematics courses, from college algebra, precalculus, and statistics to calculus and upper-level applied mathematics and modeling. His teaching emphasizes active learning, project-based instruction, and real-world applications. He has also developed and coordinated undergraduate research experiences, capstone projects, and experiential learning activities that integrate mathematical modeling, data science, and interdisciplinary problem-solving. In recognition of his innovative teaching, he has received multiple institutional and national awards.
Experience
15 years of teaching experience.
Research & Interests
- Applied and computational mathematics
- Mathematical modeling of real-world systems
- Infectious disease modeling
- Public health challenges
- Water resource management
- Sustainability issues
- Undergraduate research and experiential learning
Publications & Projects
- Chellamuthu, V.K., Schmidt, G., and Whipple, B. A Dynamical System Model of Dengue Transmission for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- House Price Prediction With Statistical Analysis in Support Vector Machine Learning for Regression Estimation, Curiosity: Interdisciplinary Journal of Research and Innovation.
- An Agent-Based Model of West Nile Virus: Predicting the Impact of Public Health Agents and Vaccinations on Horses, Curiosity: Interdisciplinary Journal of Research and Innovation.
- Modeling the Effects of Passive Immunity in Birds for the Disease Dynamics of West Nile Virus.
- Critical Commentary: Weighted Analytics – What Do the Numbers Suggest?
- Numerical Results for Linear Sequential Caputo Fractional Boundary Value Problems.
- A Model for the Interaction of Frog Population Dynamics with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, Janthinobacterium lividum and Temperature and its Implication for Chytridiomycosis Management.
- Finite Difference Approximation for Measure-Valued Solutions of a Hierarchically Size-Structured Population Model.
- Superlinear convergence via mixed generalized quasilinearization method and generalized monotone method.
Presentations
- Panelist, Industry Connect Series: Faculty, BIG Math Network (April 2025)
- Plenary Speaker, From Procedures to Potential: Fostering Creative Problem-Solvers for Real-World Success, IN-KY-OH Trisection Meeting (April 2025)
- Plenary Speaker, Empowering Students to Think Beyond the Classroom Through Real-World Problem Solving, MAA-NJ/MATYCNJ Joint Meeting (March 2025)
- Panelist, MAA Project NExT: Establishing Your Undergraduate Research Program, AMS Joint Mathematics Meeting (January 2025)
- Invited Seminar, Unraveling the Interplay Between Mosquito-Borne Diseases and Climate, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Spain (November 2024)
- Panelist, Career Paths in Business, Industry, and Government, MAA MathFest (August 2024)
- Invited Seminar, Bridging Classroom Learning and Industry Needs, Anna University, India (July 2024)
- Invited Seminar, The Power of Mathematics in Shaping Future Job Prospects, A.M. Jain College, University of Madras (July 2024)
- Keynote, From Precision to Problem-Solving, MAA Intermountain Section Meeting (March 2024)
- Panelist, Informal Sit-Down With Published Authors, AMATYC Annual Conference (November 2023)
- Panelist, Mental Health in the Mathematics Community, MAA MathFest (August 2023)
- Alder Presentation, The Real World is Not a Textbook Problem, MAA MathFest (August 2022)
- Keynote, Thinking Beyond the Finish Line, TLSS Conference (March 2021)
- (Additional panels and invited workshops spanning 2019–2025 across AMS, MAA, AMATYC, and SIMIODE events)
Conferences & Workshops
- Optimizing Dengue Control Using Wolbachia and Larval Predators in Mathematical Models, AMS Joint Mathematics Meeting (January 2025)
- Mentoring Mathematical Minds Through Interdisciplinary Projects with Southern Utah’s Business, Industry, and Government Sectors, AMS Joint Mathematics Meeting (January 2025)
- An Interdisciplinary Problem-Based STEM Curriculum: NSF S-STEM Project, AMATYC Annual Conference (November 2024)
- Synergizing Academia and Industry: Developing Sustainable Water Solutions in Southern Utah, MAA MathFest (August 2024)
- Assessing the Effectiveness of Temperature-Dependent Wolbachia Transinfection Strategies for Dengue Fever Control, International Conference on Differential Equations (May 2024)
- Unlocking Authentic Learning through Data-Driven Interdisciplinary Collaboration, AMS–MAA Joint Mathematics Meeting (January 2024)
- (Full list continues across 2022–2025 national and international conferences)
Awards & Honors
- CUR Inclusivity Award, Council on Undergraduate Research (2025)
- Presidential Community Engaged Scholar Award, Utah Tech University (2025)
- Inclusive Learning Community Award, Utah Tech University (2023)
- Distinguished Research Award, Utah Tech University (2023)
- Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching, MAA (2022)
- Distinguished Service Award, Utah Tech University (2021)
- Early Career Faculty Mentoring Award, CUR (2020)
- Distinguished Teaching Award, MAA Intermountain Section (2019)
- Distinguished Teaching Award, Utah Tech University (2019)
- Project SLOPE Research Fellow, AMATYC (2019–20)
- Most Inspiring Mentor, Utah Tech CHASS (2019)
- Project ACCCESS Fellow, AMATYC (2017–18)
- Finalist, Rising Star Teacher of the Year, Utah Tech Dixie Awards (2017 & 2018)
- Rhodes Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, University of Louisiana at Lafayette (2014–15)
Additional Information
Chellamuthu has supervised dozens of undergraduate research projects at Utah Tech and Dixie State, covering topics from modeling infectious diseases (cholera, dengue, Ebola, tuberculosis, West Nile virus) to sustainability, wildfire analysis, opioid epidemic modeling, and predictive analytics for business and industry applications.