Math Circle at the University of Washington

José Alejandro Samper is a second year PhD student at the University of Washington working in combinatorics under the direction of Isabella Novik. José has an extensive experience participating at the highest level math competitions and also training for them. He won a bronze medal twice at the International Mathematical Olympiad (in 2006 and 2007) representing Colombia, and another bronze medal at the Ibero American Math Olympiad in 2006. He was among the top five at the Colombian Math Olympiad from 2004 to 2007. Upon graduation from high school, he became a member of the organizing committee for the Colombian Mathematical Olympiad, as well as a coach for the Colombian Ibero American math Olympiad team (2007-2010) and the later the Colombian team for the International Math Olympiad (2008-2011). He was also the Colombian team deputy leader in Central American Math Olympiad (for younger students) in 2009. José is the author of numerous problems that appeared in the Colombian Math Olympiad and the Ibero American math Olympiad. In 2008 and 2009 José was a coach of a Colombian team that was invited to participate in the ARML. In the summer of 2011 he was part of the academic staff in the Awesome Math Summer Program (AMSP) organized by Prof. Titu Andreescu in Cornell University.

He kept participating in Math competitions while in college earning one gold (2011), one silver (2010) and one bronze (2009) in the International Math Competition for University students. He conducted research under the supervision of Federico Ardila and got his undergraduate degree in math and music appreciation from Universidad de los Andes in Colombia. Afterwards he spent two months in Rio de Janeiro taking masters degree courses (january-february 2011) before coming to Seattle in the fall of 2011. In the summer of 2013 he'll go back to his native Colombia to help with the International Math Olympiad that is going to take place there in July 2013.