Hi! I’m Katerina.

I am a PhD candidate in the Center for Applied Mathematics at Cornell University. I develop statistical and computational methods for understanding complex systems from the data they generate. My research focuses on inverse problems involving hidden interactions, heterogeneity, and higher-order structure, and I’m especially interested in when macroscopic patterns provide reliable evidence about microscopic mechanisms. I apply these ideas to problems in contagion dynamics and power-system reliability.

Before coming to Cornell, I graduated from Kenyon College with a major in mathematics and a minor in German. When I’m not at my desk, you can find me running on Ithaca’s beautiful trails or hanging out with my favorite collaborator, Ivy.

News & updates

• July 2026: I have a new preprint out about emergent contagion complexity with my wonderful collaborators at UVA and UVM. Check it out here.
• June 2026: I was at NetSci 2026 in Boston. I gave a talk titled “The Emergent Complexity of Contagion”—and received a Best Student Talk award!
• May 2026: I have a new preprint out on Bayesian hypergraph inference. Check it out here.
• March 2026: My paper on using transfer entropy to identify power grid pressure points was published in Cell Reports Sustainability. Check it out here.