Mathematics Prof. Kim Spayd has been teaching at Gettysburg College since the fall of 2012 and now serves as the director of the College’s Donna Brogan Center for Quantitative Learning.
Spayd received a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame, a Master of Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Ph.D. in mathematics from North Carolina State University. In 2023, she earned a certificate in data science from Cornell University.
Spayd’s research focuses on differential equation models that describe physical phenomena across time and/or space. She has published several articles on fluid dynamics, in which her results advance understanding of how two very different fluids interact in a porous medium such as the ground. More recently, Spayd has developed neurodynamic models and analyzed solutions to understand related behaviors.
As a scholar and teacher, Spayd enjoys opportunities to work with students on research. She runs a research course every spring semester in which student teams serve as consultants for industrial liaisons, addressing real issues for them. Past projects have included analyzing voting barriers in Philadelphia and Dauphin counties, addressing inequities in behavioral health care access in Pennsylvania since COVID, and optimizing manufacturing processes to reduce costs.
In 2024, she collaborated with August Butcher ’26, Liz Callan ’26, Andrew Lopez ’25, and Sophie Nasir ’25 in applied mathematics research and mathematical modeling. Spayd and her research team created and analyzed mathematical models of the brain during the early stages of romantic love through the lens of addiction. The team used differential equations to describe how dopamine is released in the brain under different scenarios. All four students gave presentations about their results at the Mathematical Association of America’s EPaDel (Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware) Fall 2024 Section Meeting.
In recognition of her commitment to inclusive teaching, the Johnson Center for Creative Teaching and Learning (JCCTL) at Gettysburg College awarded Spayd the Excellence in Teaching Award during the 2022-2023 academic year. It acknowledged her development and use of active learning strategies and assessment methods that combine action and reflection to promote metacognition.
“I love sitting with students and talking through ideas that’ll help address an open question,” she said. “When we bring all of our experiences, knowledge, and perspectives to bear on a challenge, the process and the results are so worthwhile.”
Main photo by Shawna Sherrell
Posted: 07/01/26