M.S. and Ph.D. Alumni

Information on Recent PhDs

Sergio Cosmai received a B.S. and an M.S., with an Operations Research concentration from Stony Brook in Applied Mathematics and Statistics. Upon graduation, he accepted a systems analyst position in the Group Insurance Department of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife). His programming skills were actually quite limited, and the position was more of a general-purpose quantitative entry slot in a company that offered a variety of tracks for professional advancement. Initially, Sergio developed his programming skills and strengthened his knowledge of statistical methods. One of his initial major projects involved "Stop Loss Insurance" whose rate structure for coverage depended on the Gamma distribution.

After two years, he moved to a Systems Engineer position in the Data Communication Department. One satisfying project involved a study of response times in a network linking 1200 sales offices with an information center in Scranton. Various configurations of 140 multidrop leased data circuits were studied (varying the number of offices on each circuit) using regression models. Extensive simulation and analysis (all done by Sergio) revealed that inactivating batch physical units during business hours would increase the polling rate and interactive response times. Currently Sergio is a supervisor in Data Communications.

"As well as preparing me to model and analyze insurance and telecommunication problems, the Applied Math training I got at Stony Brook helped me to understand many new data networking techniques, such as DES (Data Encryption Standard) algorithm and graph-theoretic algorithms for optimizing LANs (Local Area Networks). My one piece of advice of current Applied Math students would be for them to give more attention to writing skills and a basic knowledge of how businesses function."


Mark Derwin came to Stony Brook University with 3 years of computer training from high school. But, after 2 years in the University's Computer Department, he changed over to Applied Math and Statistics. He realized that he enjoyed problem-solving more than coding. Courses like Game Theory, Graph Theory, Cryptography and Combinatorics showed him how to apply the theories to real life situations. Applied Math gave him the ability to use computers to solve real problems.

One of these problems-solving opportunities came while he was in the Operations Research Masters program at Stony Brook. He had an internship with the Long Island Rail Road on a Time Between Failure system, giving him a chance to apply classroom theories to real world situations. It also taught him how to work in small groups and make presentations.

During graduate study, he worked as a technical writer for a local software company, and then moved into Quality Assurance. Finding bugs in their systems was just another form of problem solving. Today, he is still solving software problems at a much larger software company. As a support manager, his team handles both customer and system problems. "My background gives me the ability to perform many different tasks. Besides QA and Support, I get to write, teach and travel. I get to travel around the country and give courses on application design and problem-solving."

Looking back on college, he appreciates that his applied mathematics courses taught him general strategies for problem-solving as well as specialized mathematical techniques. The skills that he learned in Stony Brook's Applied Math and Statistics department have truly helped him to get to where he is today.


Robert Frey holds both Stony Brook B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Applied Mathematics and Statistics. "My whole education took place part-time. It took me 12 years. I was a nontraditional student in every way, from a family in which no one in the previous generation had gone to college."

During his 12 years of part-time study, Robert was simultaneously moving ahead in the business world. He was initially a management analyst for the IRS, then an operations researcher for Doubleday Book Co. and later for European-American Bank; on the side, he started his own consulting firm.

At the time he wrote his dissertation, he was head of the 25-person operations research/ artificial intelligence group at the Harris Corporation. Among other projects at Harris, Frey led an analysis of how to design a military airplane so that automated testing equipment could diagnose faults in complex electronic systems. A new generation of Navy fighter planes was developed under the guidelines Frey proposed. After his Ph.D., he moved to Morgan Stanley's trading operation where he helped build a mathematically based trading system. He then became a founding partner of Kepler Financial Management, Ltd., which ran a computerized equities fund. Kepler was purchased by Renaissance Technologies Corp., one of the country's most successful hedge fund managers. At Renaissance, he has worked on broadening Renaissance's products into more traditional areas of investment management. In 2004, he retired from Renaissance and returned to the University to start a Quantitative Finance option with the Applied Mathematics and Statistics graduate program. In 2008, he endowed the Frey Family Endowed Chair in Quantitative Finance in the department.

"I like the fact that I can change fields and rapidly become deeply involved in new careers. With the proper quantitative background, you develop powerful cognitive facilities. I have learned to pick stuff up fast."


Abbe Herzig graduated from Stony Brook with a Bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics and a Master's degree in Statistics. Her initial job was at Brookhaven National Lab working on environmental health statistics. She consulted for the United Nations Statistics Office, the Yale School of Medicine, and the Legal Defense Fund of the NAACP, and then worked for several years as a statistician with Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports and Zillions magazines.

At Consumers Union, Abbe designed experiments to test products, analyzed the resulting data, and helped editors interpret those results for publication in the magazine. She developed databases of auto test information, and analyzed survey data with hundreds of thousands of records about automobile reliability. She also advised Consumers Union's Education department on the development of statistical and mathematical exercises to be included in teaching guides for classroom use of Consumer Reports and Zillions magazines.

She decided to return to university and earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education at the University of Wisconsin. She is currently a tenured professor in the School of Education at SUNY-Albany. For her research about women and students of color leaving mathematics, she draws heavily on her statistical expertise, combining those quantitative research skills with qualitative methodologies.

"The aspect I've always enjoyed most about being a professional statistician is that statistical methodology is used practically everywhere. I've had the opportunity to work on a discrimination lawsuit, in scientific research in biology, education, psychology, medicine, and in the physical sciences and engineering."


Terri McNamereceived her B.S. in Math and Philosophy from SUNY-Oswego. She wanted further training that combined mathematics with business. She chose the Applied Mathematics and Statistics graduate program at Stony Brook because she grew up in the neighboring town, Smithtown. Terri received her M.S. in Operations Research in December, 1990 but was unsure how to get an entry level job in her field of expertise. She heard about the actuarial field and that many entry-level opportunities exist for individuals without work experience.

In November, 1990, she passed her first actuarial exam. In January, she went to the annual Actuarial Career Day in New York City where she obtained more information about the three actuarial disciplines: Pension Consulting, Life Insurance, and Property/Casualty. "Pension Consulting had the most appeal since it seemed like the perfect fit for combining math with business. To this day, I feel I made the right choice for myself." She gave her resume to a few consulting firms that attended the Career Day and by April 1991 had two job offers (and had also passed her second actuarial exam). Terri started her actuarial career in August 1991 working for Cooper & Lybrand (currently called PriceWaterhouseCoopers) in New York City. In February 1994, she transferred to Sedgwick Noble Lowndes in Melville and is currently working for Milliman USA in the same office (due to an acquisition). She became an Associate of the Society of Actuaries in May 1994 and a Enrolled Pension Actuary in April 1998. She has had the opportunity to be the Manager of the Pension Department, the Actuary for a handful of pension plans, work on the projection of medical benefits, and work flex time from home.

"Many people believe that Traditional Pension Plans are a dying breed with the growth of 401(k) Benefit Plans. These Pension Plans have been around for many years and are beneficial to employees since they define the pension benefit when an employee retires, are regulated by the IRS, and are guaranteed by a government organization. It is the employer's responsibility to maintain the fund at a certain level and make contributions to obtain that level. On the other hand, 401(k) plans only define the amount deposited into the fund (usually a percentage of payroll) which grows at current rates of interest with the risk of return borne upon the employee. Although it is more expensive for a company to sponsor a Traditional Pension Plan, it is the type of plan that the employees do not risk their retirement income. The Plan's Actuary determines the level of contributions required such that the fund passes strict IRS regulations. I feel I have a very important job because it is the responsibility of the Actuary to make sure that there is enough money in the fund to pay current and future benefits."


Lourdes Villamil Kuljis earned a M.S. in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from Stony Brook. Although she had not expected to be qualified to work in the defense industry, her first job after graduation was as an electronic systems engineer at Sperry Corp., a Long Island defense contractor. After a few years, she moved to a similar job with Norden Systems in Connecticut. At both companies, she worked on development of radar systems for the U. S. military and that of other governments: at Sperry the radars were for ships, at Norden they were for aircraft. The work included development of software algorithms, writing specification documents, and the testing and analysis of radar performance.

Lourdes had no radar courses or system engineering courses in college or graduate school. She was hired for her first job (chosen over well-qualified engineering graduates) because her employer valued her training in applied mathematics. Both companies offered in-house training about radar, and she learned systems engineering principles on the job. To master both topics, applied mathematics was essential- and there were no training courses in applied mathematics. She now realizes, "the real value of training in applied mathematics is a more systematic, organized way of thinking." Applied mathematics topics most used on her job are probability and statistics, matrix algebra, 3-dimensional geometry, stochastic processes, Fourier analysis, and Laplace transforms.

"I have been working in a very interesting, highly technical field which I have enjoyed very much. I give it my best and I believe that my work is highly regarded." Three years ago, Norden honored her with a Special Achievement Award.