Rate My Professor Isaac Towers

University of New South Wales

4.5

4 reviews · out of 5

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Ratings & reviews

5.08/20/2025

Always positive and motivating in class.

4.05/21/2025

Helps students see their full potential.

5.03/31/2025

Makes learning exciting and meaningful.

4.02/27/2025

Encourages independent and critical thought.

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About Isaac

Dr. Isaac Towers serves as a Senior Lecturer in the School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences within UNSW Canberra at the University of New South Wales. Specializing in mathematical modelling, his research encompasses ecological modelling, bioinformatics, and nonlinear dynamics. His fields of research include applied mathematics, numerical and computational mathematics, dynamical systems in applications, bioinformatic methods development, and forestry fire management. Towers lectures undergraduate courses on linear algebra and discrete mathematics, including ZPEM1301 - Mathematics 1A, ZPEM1303 - Engineering Mathematics 1A, and ZPEM1306 - Introduction to Discrete Mathematics.

Dr. Towers has supervised numerous postgraduate students, demonstrating significant impact in applied mathematics. Current PhD supervisees include Sahar Masoudian on stochastic modelling of bushfire spread and Zakir Hossine on understanding differential abundance in microbial ecology using community structure. Past students have pursued PhDs on genetics for forecasting and managing biodiversity (Luis Mijangos Aruajo), realistic models for stressed ecosystems (Rashed Saifuddin), incorporation of spotting and intrinsic fire dynamics in coupled atmosphere-fire modelling (Chris Thomas), stochastic bushfire spread modelling (Hilyati Zazali), combustion waves in two-stage sequential exothermic-endothermic reaction schemes (Zhejun Huang), and population dynamics in stochastic environments (Chad Anderson), among others. Notably, past student Prof. Hamizah Safuan won the 2014 Ria de Groot Prize for her project on mathematical analysis of population growth subject to environmental change.

With over 50 journal articles to his name, key publications include 'Re-evaluation of quadratic and exponential models of litter accumulation incorporating climatic and species-specific dependence' with J.J. Sharples (Nature Communications, 2025), 'Network based differential abundance analysis: bridging community interactions and host microbiome dynamics' with Z. Hossine and B. Kaehler (Network Modeling Analysis in Health Informatics and Bioinformatics, 2025), 'Modelling litter accumulation and fire risks in Australia using Olson models: Commentary on Adams and Neumann (2024)' with J.J. Sharples (Forest Ecology and Management, 2025), 'Incorporating Stochastic Wind Vectors in Wildfire Spread Prediction' with S. Masoudian, J. Sharples, Z. Jovanoski and S. Watt (Atmosphere, 2023), 'A critical review of fuel accumulation models used in Australian fire management' with H.H. Zazali and J.J. Sharples (International Journal of Wildland Fire, 2020), and 'A Mathematical Model of Humanitarian Aid Agencies in Attritional Conflict Environments' with T.A. McLennan-Smith et al. (Operations Research, 2021). His contributions advance modelling in fire management, population dynamics, and ecological systems.