About me

I am currently an AI researcher and engineer at Adapter, where I work on large language models and their applications. My research interests include LLMs, efficient fine-tuning, and building reliable, interpretable AI systems for real-world and scientific applications.

I completed my Ph.D. in Computational and Applied Mathematics at Rice University, where I was advised by Dr. Beatrice Riviere and Dr. David Fuentes. My doctoral research, funded by the Ruth L. Kirschstein NIH National Research Service Award Fellowship, combined deep learning and mathematical modeling to develop simulations informed by real-world data.

Contact: Email | Linkedin

Education

• Ph.D. Computational and Applied Mathematics, Rice University, August 2024
• M.A. Computational and Applied Mathematics, Rice University, May 2022
• M.A. Mathematics, Johns Hopkins University, December 2016
• B.S. Physics, Mathematics, Johns Hopkins University, December 2016

Research and Experience

• AI Researcher/Engineer, Adapter, 2025-present
• Technical Consultant, Princeton Consultants, New York, NY 2017-2019
• RIPS REU, Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics, University of California, Los Angeles, Summer 2016
• MRSEC REU, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, New York University, Summer 2015
• Researcher, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University 2014-2017

Awards and Honors

• Ruth L. Kirschstein NIH National Research Service Award F31 Fellowship 2021-2024
  • Sponsoring Agency: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• SIAM Student Travel Award, SIAM GS 2023
• Alan Weiser Memorial Travel Award, Rice University 2023
• SIAM Student Travel Award, SIAM CSE 2023
• Rice Datathon: Cognite Challenge Winner, Overall Honorable Mention, Rice University, 2022
• AWM Student Chapter Award for Scientific Excellence, Association for Women in Math, 2022
• Brown Fellowship, Rice University, 2019
• Homewood Arts Certificate, Johns Hopkins University, 2017
• Departmental Honors in Math, Johns Hopkins University, 2016
• Departmental Honors in Physics, Johns Hopkins University, 2016

Publications

• Adaptive spectral solution method for the Landau and Lenard-Balescu equations, Christian R. Scullard, Abigail Hickok, Justyna Sotiris, Bilyana Tzolova, Robert L. Van Heyningen, Frank R. Graziani. Journal of Computational Physics, 2020.

Invited Talks

• Modelling the Flow and Transport of TACE treatments in the Liver Organ, Bilyana Tzolova. Pitt AWM Student Seminar
• Coupled Flow and Transport in the Liver Organ, Bilyana Tzolova. Seventh Chilean Workshop on Numerical Analysis of Partial Differential Equations (WONAPDE 2024)
• Flow and Transport in the Liver Organ, Bilyana Tzolova. 6th Annual Meeting of the SIAM Texas Louisiana Section (TXLA23)
• Coupled 1D-3D Flow and Transport in Porous Media, Bilyana Tzolova. SIAM Conference on Mathematical & Computational Issues in the Geosciences (GS23)

Conference Presentations

• Machine Learning and Computational Methods for Blood Flow in Organs, Bilyana Tzolova, Beatrice Riviere, David Fuentes. SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering (CSE23)
• Machine Learning and Computational Methods for Blood Flow in Organs, Bilyana Tzolova, Beatrice Riviere, David Fuentes. Women in Scientific Computing on Complex Physical and Biological Systems 2022
• Machine Learning Methods for Vessel Segmentation on Organs, Bilyana Tzolova, Beatrice Riviere, David Fuentes. SIAM Conference on Mathematics of Data Science (MDS22)
• Adaptive Polynomial Expansion Method for the Numerical Solution of the Landau Equation, Bilyana Tzolova, Abigail Hickok, Justyna Tafoya, Robert Loek Van Heyningen, Omer Tekin, Frank Graziani, Chris Scullard. AMS Contributed Paper Session on Ordinary Differential Equations, Joint Mathematics Meeting 2017
• Interfacial Microrheology Study of Layer Formation by Staphylococcal Nuclease Protein and its Disordered Variant, Bilyana Tzolova, Daniel Allan, Daniel Firester, Bertrand Garcia-Moreno, Daniel Reich, Robert Leheny. Soft Matter at Interfaces Session, APS March Meeting Baltimore 2016
• Microscopic Investigation of Protein Layer Mechanics, Bilyana Tzolova, Daniel Allen, Robert Leheny. APS Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics 2015

Other Presentations

• Automated Vessel Segmentation in the Liver Organ, Bilyana Tzolova, Beatrice Riviere, David Fuentes. 4th Annual Meeting of the SIAM Texas Louisiana Section (TXLA21)
• Machine Learning Methods for Vessel Segmentation in Organs, Bilyana Tzolova, Beatrice Riviere, David Fuentes. Departmental Graduate Student Seminar Fall 2021
• Adaptive Polynomial Expansion Method for the Numerical Solution of the Landau Equation, Departmental Graduate Student Seminar Spring 2020
• Python Geoviews: I Can Show You The World, Princeton Consultants Quarterly Meeting Spring 2019
• Creating a New Type of Swimmer: The Thermal Marangoni Effect, Bilyana Tzolova, Michelle Driscoll, Paul Chaikin. Institute for NanoBioTechnology Research Symposium at Johns Hopkins University 2015

Teaching

• Numerical Analysis, Grader, Fall 2021/Fall 2020
• Differential Equations, Grader, Spring 2021
• Matrix Analysis for Data Science, Grader, Spring 2020
• Matrix Analysis, Grader, Fall 2019
• Linear Algebra, Teaching Assistant, Spring 2017, Evaluations 4.89/5, Fall 2016, Evaluations 4.69/5
• Differential Equations, Teaching Assistant, Evaluations 4.63/5, Spring 2016

Leadership

• President, Rice University Association for Women in Mathematics
• Organizer, Rice University Math Nights, Freshman Math Mentorship Program
• Organizing Committee, Texas Women in Math Symposium 2022
• Graduate Student Advisory Committee, Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics, Rice University
• Session Chair, SIAM Conference on Mathematics of Data Science

Last updated: October 2nd, 2025