Dr. Rui Gong

Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Department of Informatics and Mathematics

Education

  • B.A., Public Administration, Sichuan University, China, 2004
  • M.S., Economics and Finance, Management, Otto-Von-Güricke Magdeburg University, Germany, 2008
  • M.S., Mathematical Sciences (with a concentration in Statistics), Clemson University, 2017
  • Ph.D., Mathematical Sciences (with a concentration in Statistics), Clemson University, 2021

Dr. Gong is a dedicated educator and researcher passionate about creating meaningful learning experiences and advancing impactful research. During her Ph.D. studies at Clemson University, she taught and co-advised undergraduate and graduate students for over ten consecutive semesters. After joining Mercer University as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics, she continued teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Gong fosters an engaging and inclusive classroom environment, encouraging students to ask questions, engage in discussions, present their ideas, and collaborate on hands-on activities.

Dr. Gong‘s research spans interdisciplinary fields, including resource scheduling in cloud computing, financial modeling, public health disparities, AI, and machine learning applications. Her work has been published in esteemed venues such as Educational Research: Theory and Practice, IEEE Xplore, and American Journal of Primatology. These research pursuits not only contribute to knowledge in these fields but also enhance her teaching by bringing real-world applications into the classroom.

The synergy between teaching and research is central to Dr. Gong’s academic approach. She incorporates the latest research insights into her lectures, fostering a data-driven and problem-solving mindset among her students. Her work on resource scheduling and public health data analytics has sparked insightful classroom discussions on complex decision-making processes. Moreover, collaborative research projects with other faculty members and students have led to co-authored publications and innovative research directions, demonstrating her commitment to mentoring and empowering the next generation of scholars and innovators.

Courses Taught

  • INFD 655: Ethics and Civic Responsibility in Data Intelligence and Machine Learning
  • INFD 611: Foundations of Statistical Algorithms
  • INFD 623: Multivariate Analysis Methods for Complex and High Dimensional Data
  • INFM 616: Healthcare Data Analytics
  • MATH 225: Topics in Discrete Mathematics
  • MATH 220: Applied Statistical Methods
  • MATH 181: Calculus for the Social and Life Sciences
  • MATH 130: Topics in Precalculus
  • MATH 120: Intermediate Algebraic Procedures for Problem Solving

Research and Professional Interests

  • Bayesian Statistics
  • Machine Learning
  • AI Application in Statistics
  • Statistical Inference
  • Statistical Modeling and Prediction

Contact Dr. Gong

478.301.5396
gong_r@mercer.edu