Jason Douma

Dr. Jason Douma is the product of an educational and professional background that is closely tied to the liberal arts tradition. He earned his undergraduate degree from Gustavus Adolphus College, completed his Ph.D. in Mathematics at Northwestern University and has taught at three liberal arts colleges: Lake Forest College, Carthage College and (since 1998) the University of Sioux Falls. 

Douma’s doctoral thesis was situated in algebraic topology and representation theory. However, over time his professional and scholarly interests have expanded to include publications, presentations and invited talks in finite group theory, game theory, strategic voting, philosophy of mathematics and curricular/pedagogical innovation. He has supervised many undergraduate research projects, a number of which have been presented at regional conferences.

A passionate educator, Douma has taught courses throughout the field of mathematics, and he has also taught or co-taught courses in the philosophy of mathematics, issues in science and religion, and USF's Writing and Intellectual Traditions sequence. He has been awarded USF’s Outstanding Faculty Award twice, and in 2008 he was selected as recipient of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) North Central Section’s Distinguished Teaching Award.

In his work at the University of Sioux Falls, Douma has served as Natural Sciences Area Chair, Chair of the Faculty Association, Director of the Honors Program, Director of the USF Forum for Conversations in Theology and Science, Faculty Budget Representative, and Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees. For over a decade, he has helped lead the University's strategic planning and institutional research activities, and currently serves as Associate Vice President for Institutional Research, in addition to Professor of Mathematics..

Beyond the University of Sioux Falls, Douma is the director of the Math Modeling Hub, chair of the MAA's Committee for the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics, and chair of the Philosophy of Mathematics Special Interest Group of the MAA. In recent years, he has served as vice chair of the MAA Congress, represented the North Central Section of the Mathematical Association of America (NCS-MAA) in the Congress, served as the NCS-MAA president, and chaired the MAA Subcommittee for Mathematics Across the Disciplines. In 2014, Douma received the Meritorious Service Award from the NCS-MAA. In addition to the MAA, Douma is also a member of the Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Mathematics and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.