Samir Raouafi, PhD
Short Bio
Dr. Samir Raouafi is a Senior Lecturer and Business Calculus Coordinator in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Auburn University. He earned his BS in Mathematics from the University of Tunis El Manar and his MSc and PhD in Mathematics from Laval University, followed by a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Regina. His research interests include spectral theory, operator theory and matrix analysis, with a focus on numerical ranges and pseudospectra. Since joining Auburn in 2017, he has taught a variety of undergraduate courses in calculus and statistics, with a particular emphasis on business calculus and statistics for biological and health sciences. He is committed to promoting student success through innovative and evidence-based teaching practices.
Education
PhD Laval University 2014
MSc Laval University 2010
BSc University of Tunis El Manar 2007
Professional Experience
| Senior Lecturer, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Auburn University | 2024 – Present |
| Business Calculus Coordinator, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Auburn University | 2021 – Present |
| Lecturer, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Auburn University | 2020 – 2024 |
| Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Auburn University | 2017 – 2019 |
| Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Regina | 2015 – 2017 |
Innovation
Operator theory, spectral theory, functional analysis and matrix analysis.
Engagement
Alabama State Science Olympiad Tournament (Event Supervisor, 2023–2026)
Auburn Research Symposium (Judge, 2024)
South’s BEST Robotics Competition (Judge, 2017)
Honors and Awards
Vivian Ballenger Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence
MSc thesis completed with distinction, Laval University
Selected Publications
- M. Gumus and S. Raouafi (2022), A sharp upper-bound for the norm of positive semidefinite block matrices, SEABM, 46, 721–728.
- S. Hans and S. Raouafi (2022), Annulus containing all the eigenvalues of a matrix polynomial, IJPAM, 1–8.
- S. Raouafi (2020), Operators with minimal pseudospectra and connection to normality, Operators and Matrices, 14, 91–103.
- M. Gumus, J. Liu, S. Raouafi, and Tin-Yau Tam (2020), On positive partial transpose matrices, Electronic Journal of Linear Algebra, 36, 256–264.
- S. Raouafi (2018), A generalization of the Kreiss matrix theorem, Linear Algebra and Its Applications, 549, 86–99.
- M. Gumus, J. Liu, S. Raouafi, and Tin-Yau Tam (2018), Positive semidefinite 2 × 2 block matrices and norm inequalities, Linear Algebra and Its Applications, 551, 83–91.
- T. Ransford and S. Raouafi (2013), Pseudospectra and holomorphic functions of matrices, Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society, 45(4), 693–699.
