Ben Burns

I am a second-year CSE PhD student at Georgia Tech advised by Peng Chen. My research interests are in generative modeling and uncertainty quantification. I am supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

Before moving to the North Avenue Trade School, I was an undergraduate at UMass Amherst studying math and CS. I am honored to have been advised by Markos Katsoulakis and Benjamin Zhang. My senior thesis studied partial differential equation perspectives on score-based diffusion models (SBDMs).

I am passionate about teaching. During my time at a UMass, I was heavily involved with the Undergraduate Course Assistant (UCA) program, serving as a Head UCA and as a UCA program coordinator. I am proud to have been recognized with one of the inaugural Lifetime UCA awards.

news

[2025-06-13] I was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.
[2024-10-21] I presented a poster on PDE perspectives on SBDM at SIAM MDS.
[2024-08-19] I started my PhD at Georgia Tech CSE.
[2024-06-24] I presented a poster on PDE perspectives on SBDM at CAIMS.

some writings

[2024-07-15] Navigating the UMass CICS course requirements
[2024-05-21] Advice for UMass Math + CS undergrads interested in research
[2024-04-21] My UMassCTF 2024 challenges
[2023-06-25] “Missing Skills” not taught by the UMass CICS curriculum