My doctoral research is focused on investigating the sustained behavior of the 2D Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation under various initial physical parameters. See my YouTube channel for numerical simulations of this equation.

My current research interests with undergraduate students are in computational modeling. Here is a graphical abstract of my research. See my Github where I keep a database of my computational research.

I regularly collaborate with the DUNY Doctor of Physical Therapy program. A general theme of our research includes interpreting biological patterns (such as proprioception) using computational methods given neural or physical data (such as EEG measurements or 3D motion capture). 

Our research setting is the computational modeling lab (Prusmack Center, Room G7) at Dominican University. Any student interested in contributing to this research can contact me at my listed DUNY e-mail address. 

2025 Computational Modeling Summer Undergraduate Research Internships

Any student attending either DUNY or a NJ or NY community college is eligible for this opportunity. Students from community colleges in upstate NY, Long Island, and even South Jersey participated in our program in 2024 and lived on our beautiful campus at Dominican University in Rockland County, NY. 

I am hiring at least 3 students for Summer 2025 (May 19 to June 26) who will receive $4000 and free on-campus housing (if desired) to participate in a 6-week computational modeling research internship. My previous student interns continued on to engineering, computer science, and applied math programs at schools such as Stony Brook, NJIT, and Claremont McKenna. 

There are 3 other programs in biochemistry, biodiversity, and chemistry that are likewise recruiting students. See the application page for more details!

In the computational modeling program, interns will learn how to apply cutting-edge research methods to build computational models that can be applied to neuroscience, biology, finance, or any other field they might be interested in. More details about my research program can be found on my website. Having some knowledge of physics and calculus is recommended, but nothing is necessarily required. The most important factor is interest in doing scientific research!

Only US citizens/residents (i.e. no international students) can apply. Please email jovan.zigic@duny.edu if you have any questions. We look forward to your application!

My research interests generally pertain to problems involving nonlinear PDE models. Although my master’s thesis research was more focused on computational techniques, my current motivation is to also address many aspects of nonlinear PDE models in the continuous setting (prior to discretization). 

1. Within the optimization field, I am interested in continuation methods and regularity of nonlinear PDE models. During my master’s research, I tested the sensitivity of my models and observed limitations to the discretize-then-optimize approach I was using. I am interested in researching methods that provide future-state accuracy (i.e. "learning") of PDE models by leveraging geometric or topological features of such models. Moreover, I am interested in researching methods that investigate the theoretical bounds of PDE models under different conditional inputs.

2. Within the dynamical systems field, I am interested in center manifold theory and bifurcation analysis. During my master’s research, I observed that the time-steps in my models produced the greatest approximation errors near points of phase transition, so I chose to handle states on either side of these transitive points separately in order to improve my results. I also examined sensitivity in bifurcation parameters leading to vastly different system behavior. I am interested in researching methods that leverage information from coherent structures in PDE models to design metrics for attractors of both periodic and chaotic systems.

1. ResearchGate

2. Google Scholar

3. ORCID

Click here for a full list of published and unpublished research projects.