Zachary Gelbaum, PhD

Principal, Northwest Mathematics

I started Northwest Mathematics in 2017 on the conviction that mathematics has the power to directly solve real problems for the people and organizations doing consequential work in the world.

My training is in pure and applied mathematics. I received my PhD from Oregon State University in 2013, where my research spanned multiple areas of mathematics and led to publications in several peer-reviewed journals. Early in my education I was drawn to the nineteenth and early twentieth century mathematicians for whom rigorous mathematics and solving real-world problems were the same pursuit. I have tried to practice that tradition in my own career.

Over the past ten years I have worked with clients across a wide range of domains in both private industry and the public sector. Although the problem specifics vary, the methodology is the same: understand the problem precisely, develop the right mathematical framework, and deliver something that solves the problem and leaves the client more capable than before. Applied mathematics is a discipline of common patterns, the same structures recurring across very different fields, and recognizing those patterns is what makes it possible to bring a fresh perspective to a client's problem while still tailoring the solution to their specific context.

What I find most satisfying about this work is the moment a client gains genuine clarity on a problem they have been dealing with for a long time. Mathematics does not just produce solutions, it produces deeper understanding. That is ultimately what I try to deliver. The relationships I build with clients through that shared work, and the lasting collaborations that grow out of them, are what I value most.

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