Bailey Flanigan plans to work at the interface of theoretical and applied problems in algorithms, machine learning, and game theory as a PhD student in computer science.
In her research, Bailey, a native of Madison, Wisconsin, aims to combine approaches from computer science, economics, and the physical sciences to address disparities and complex problems. As an undergraduate studying biomedical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she conducted undergraduate research in cancer genetics, heart disease, and functional magnetic resonance imaging before broadening her focus to include social and economic systems. After graduation, Bailey completed a yearlong research fellowship at Yale University’s Department of Economics.
Outside of research, Bailey managed a team of engineers that designed and implemented a potable water system in rural Ecuador. She has also served as a consulting scientist for a court case with the Wisconsin Innocence Project, which seeks to exonerate wrongly convicted individuals. Her honors include a Goldwater Scholarship, which supports undergraduates who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, or engineering. In 2017, she gave the UW-Madison Engineering Commencement address, in which she discussed the importance of scientists lending their expertise to causes outside of STEM.
In her free time, Bailey enjoys teaching mathematics, writing fiction, and bicycle riding.
