Her Mathematical Mind

Stephanie Tomlinson is a mathophile, an avid gamer and long-time Austinite. She has dedicated most of her adult life serving the needs of researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, working across numerous schools and departments and now, to our good fortune, at the Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors.

How long have you been at UT Austin?

I’ve worked as a staff member in various departments for 23 years. But I’ve been at UT Austin almost continuously since I came as a student in 1995. I think I’ve stayed for so long because I enjoy being surrounded by curiosity, discovery and innovation. I find it to be inspiring.

I originally came to UT as a computer science student — following in the footsteps of my father. I’ve been using computers since I was very young and ultimately graduated with a B.S. in mathematics.

During and after my degree I worked in several administrative roles at the Departments of Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering and Statistics and Data Sciences, as well as at the College of Natural Sciences.

There appears to be a pattern to the kinds of colleges and schools you chose to study and/or work at?

Yes. I love mathematics, a crucial skillset required in all the places I’ve spent time at UT. I’ve always thought of a mathematical proof as a kind of puzzle: figuring out how to get from A to B. For me, mathematics is also a beautiful way of seeing and understanding the universe we live in.

It was during my time at the Department of Biomedical Engineering that I was introduced to research administration, something I’m passionate about. I moved into the same administrative field when I went to Statistics and Data Sciences and have continued working in research administration here on the research development team at the OVPR.

As senior grants and contracts specialist, what does your role entail?

My primary duty is to provide proposal development support for some proposals supported by the RD team. This involves providing PIs and departmental research administrators with guidance and resources for the non-technical volume of the proposal. I generally assist with logistics, budgeting, reviewing the proposal for compliance with University and sponsor requirements, and helping to interpret sponsor guidelines. I work closely with Kristin Weidman here in the OVPR and with the research development officers depending on who is supporting the proposal.

Are you a Texan native?

I was born in Pennsylvania, but I’ve lived in the Austin area for 38 years. I moved to Round Rock when I was 9 with my family after my father got a job with the Microelectronics and Computer Consortium (later the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation) that was, at the time, located in the West Pickle Research Campus in North Austin.

So after nearly four decades, you are essentially an Austin native. How has the city changed in your opinion?

It’s become cliché to say, but I feel like the city isn’t as laid back as it once was. People are less friendly. And like most people, I really don’t like the traffic and avoid driving on the highways as much as possible. Still, Austin has always been a place for creative people, and it continues to become even more innovative.

What do you like doing when you’re not facilitating and supporting UT faculty, researchers and CSUs trying to navigate the complexities of grants and contracts?

I’ve got twin teenagers at home who take up most of my time. Otherwise, I can be found playing tabletop games or video games with the whole family, watching movies and reading.

I most enjoy science fiction. The book I’m reading right now is “The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet,” by Becky Chambers.

So you’re a gamer? What kinds of games do you play?

I generally prefer games that require strategic thinking and creativity. We normally have family time on the weekend and play Baldur’s Gate 3, a Dungeons & Dragons-style cooperative game full of battling monsters and completing quests. We also sometimes play another cooperative game called Bloons TD 6, where the objective is to keep a series of balloons from traversing paths on more and more complex maps by setting up traps of various sorts. I find it much more fun to work as a team rather than compete.

On the rare occasion I have down time for myself, I will sometimes play Nethack, a rogue-like game typically played in a UNIX-type text terminal. The quest is to descend into a dungeon to get an amulet, which you then must successfully ascend with to win the game. It’s much more difficult than it sounds with the maps, monsters and items algorithmically generated to increase in difficulty.

As far as tabletop games go, we usually play games such as Carcassonne, Scrabble, Castle Panic, Munchkin or Uno as a family. Not a game I’ve played with my kids, but one of my all-time favorite tabletop games is Zombie Cinema, which is a cooperative storytelling game.

The title of this profile is a play on the name of a song by the Austin indie-rock band Spoon called "My Mathematical Mind", from their 2005 studio album "Gimme Fiction."