Quinnipiac University
Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Data Science
Hamden, CT, USA
2019 - Present
James Soda, Jr., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Math and Data Science
James Soda, Jr., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Math and Data Science
Professor Soda is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Data Science. His teaching interests include probability and statistics, computational mathematics, and scientific programming. He also contributes to the curriculum design for Quinnipiac's Data Science Program. As an instructor, Prof. Soda seeks to impart the knowledge and academic skills necessary for students to succeed in their professional and intellectual endeavors, not just while they are students but throughout their careers.
Professor Soda's research interests center on data science applications to ecology, evolution, and medicine. His recent work has focused on disease modeling and geometric morphometrics, the statistical study of biological shape variation. In addition, he is the current moderator for the popular Morphmet listserv, which functions as an international forum for researchers to discuss work related to geometric morphometrics.
Professor Soda earned a B.S. in Biology from Western Washington University in 2009 and a M.A. in Biology from Stony Brook University in 2011. Starting in 2011, his academic interests shifted towards data science, leading him to earn a M.S. and Ph.D. in Computational Science from Florida State University. Between 2017 and 2019, he worked as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the University of Notre Dame, until accepting his current position at Quinnipiac.
Professor Soda's research interests center on data science applications to ecology, evolution, and medicine. His recent work has focused on disease modeling and geometric morphometrics, the statistical study of biological shape variation. In addition, he is the current moderator for the popular Morphmet listserv, which functions as an international forum for researchers to discuss work related to geometric morphometrics.
Professor Soda earned a B.S. in Biology from Western Washington University in 2009 and a M.A. in Biology from Stony Brook University in 2011. Starting in 2011, his academic interests shifted towards data science, leading him to earn a M.S. and Ph.D. in Computational Science from Florida State University. Between 2017 and 2019, he worked as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the University of Notre Dame, until accepting his current position at Quinnipiac.
Education
- BS, Western Washington University
- MA, SUNY Stony Brook
- MS, Florida State University
- PHD, Florida State University
Areas of Expertise
- Data Science
- Geometric Morphometrics
- Disease Modeling
Organization
- Mathematics and Statistics
Office Location
- College of Arts & Sciences 3 105
Mail Drop
- CL-AC3
Courses
-
DS 110 Introduction to Data Science
Fall 2025 -
DS 201 Introduction to Python
Spring 2026 -
DS 299 Independent Study Data Science
Fall 2025 -
DS 310 Algorithms for Data Science
Fall 2025 -
DS 480 Data Science Capstone
Spring 2026 -
MA 280 Applied Stats in Theory and Practice
Spring 2026 -
MA 285 Applied Statistics
Fall 2025
Experience
University of Notre Dame
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Notre Dame, IN, USA
2017 - 2019
Selected Publications
Peer Reviewed Presentations
The Euclidean process distance and its applications to the study of ecological communities
Soda, K.
The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology 2025 Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA (2025)
Peer Reviewed Journal
Expected endpoints from future chikungunya vaccine trial sites informed by serological data and modeling
Tran, Q.M., Soda, J., Siraj, A., Moore, S., Clapham, H., Perkins, T.A.
41(1) Vaccine 182-192 Jan (2023)
Peer Reviewed Journal
Monitoring and responding to emerging infectious diseases in a university setting: A case study using COVID-19
Soda, K.J., X Chen X, R Feinn, Hill, D.R.
18(5) PLOS ONE e0280979 May 17 (2023)
Invited Speaker
Agent-based modeling to inform public health policy at institutions of higher education: A case study using COVID-19
Soda, K.J.
Mathematical Biology Seminar, Lincoln, Nebraska, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2022)