Dr. Maritza Branker

Biography

Dr. Maritza Branker is the Actuarial Program Director and an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics. She joined Niagara University in 2006, after completing postdoctoral fellowships at University of Toronto and Syracuse University. She is a polymath, publishing and presenting scholarly work in pluripotential theory, approximation theory, rhetoric of science, history of mathematics, higher education research and mathematics education. Her latest addition to her research program is the area of leadership, and she has ongoing projects in all of the previously mentioned areas.

Focus of Teaching

Dr. Maritza Branker is proficient at teaching the calculus sequence (Calculus 1,2,3), Foundations of Mathematics, Abstract Algebra, Complex Analysis, History of Mathematics, Mathematics Senior Seminar. She has also taught Linear Algebra, Number Theory, Introduction to Actuarial Science, Game Theory, Mathematical Economics, Discrete Mathematics and supervised independent studies in Philosophy of Mathematics, Mathematics of Finance, Mathematical Economics.

Thus far she has supervised several honors theses in a diverse range of mathematical topics and has recently started working with graduate students in the Leadership and Public Policy Ph.D. program.

Current Involvement

Dr. Maritza Branker is currently co-chairing the Enterprise Risk Management Working Group and the Teacher Education Academic Content Committee. She has previously led the College of Arts and Science Curriculum Committee and served on a wide variety of other university committees. Notable highlights include being elected to the Promotion and Tenure Committee, Committee for Investigation and Advice, Hearing Committee, and University Senate in her time at Niagara University.

Within the Mathematics Department she is the Corresponding Secretary of KME-NY ETA chapter (2008-2020) and Actuarial Science Program Director (2016-2020) and has previously served as the Department Chair (2016-2019), Math Club Faculty Advisor (2006-2017) and NUSTEP calculus liaison.

Educational Background

• B.Sc. Honors in Pure Mathematics University of Western Ontario 1998
• M.Sc. in Pure Mathematics U.W.O. 1999
• Ph.D. in Pure Mathematics, under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Bloom
• University of Toronto 2004
• Women in Leadership Certificate Cornell 2018