Bill Fries
- Degree: M.A. Mathematics
- Class of: 2018
- Career Path: Aerospace and Defense Engineering
“Gaining experience tutoring gave me a safe learning environment to refine my skills mentoring students, which became invaluable both teaching at UA, and now leading a team at Northrop Grumman.“
Post Graduation
Doctoral program at the University of Arizona’s Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Applied Math
What was your first job after graduation?
Senior Modeling and Simulation Engineer at Raytheon
What is your current job?
Senior Principal GNC Engineer at Northrop Grumman
How did your degree program prepare you for your career? What are the important skills you developed while a part of the program?
The MA program at WFU refined my undergraduate knowledge and prepared me to explore the more abstract and technical ideas in academia and industry. While at WFU, I began to understand the research process, gained exposure to real-world applications of math, and had the opportunity to explore education. Starting research at WFU helped me begin to think critically about hard problems while having the support system to not be overwhelmed.
My classes in Dynamical Systems, PDEs, Statistics, Network Science, Numerical Methods, and others showed me how math can be applied outside of academia and prepared me for my doctoral program.
Finally, gaining experience tutoring gave me a safe learning environment to refine my skills mentoring students, which became invaluable both teaching at UA, and now leading a team at Northrop Grumman.
What was your favorite memory about Wake Forest and the Department?
Time spent in the Manchester Hall lounge doing research, talking with professors and graduate students, and taking some time to relax between classes.
What is one thing you would want other people to know about the Department of Mathematics at Wake Forest University?
The program is a great stepping stone to both industry and higher-academia. I went to WFU not knowing if I wanted to continue doing research in math or if I wanted to enter industry and get a job. WFU gave me a space to make that decision while still learning and bettering myself for both paths.
Is there anything you wish you knew while in the program at WFU or any advice you would give to current students?
Explore any and all ideas that come your way. There is plenty of time to specialize in the future. You never know what you might like.