Sybil Prince Nelson

1404 Lone Jack Rd. Glasgow, VA 24555

sprincenelson@wlu.edu

Education

PhD in Biostatistics (August 2010 – August 2016)

Medical University of South Carolina — Charleston, SC

Thesis: Classifying and Predicting Disease Outcome from Continuous and Binary Predictors and Their Interactions

Advisor: Bethany Wolf Jacobs

Master of Science in Mathematics (January 2006 – May 2010)

College of Charleston — Charleston, SC

Thesis: Dynamics of Nearly Circular Vortex Filaments

Advisor: Annalisa Calini

Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Music (September 1997 – June 2001)

Washington and Lee University — Lexington, VA

Research: Classifying Clawless Steinhaus Graphs

Advisor: Wayne Dymacek

Research Publications

· Prince Nelson, S. (Chapter submitted, volume in preparation). Ethical Vaccine Distribution -- A Data Science Lesson. In C. Early & K. Murdock (Eds.), Ethical Decision-Making for Real Life: Teaching Ethical Reasoning and Applied Ethics Across the Curriculum. Springer Nature.

· Prince Nelson, S. Let it Be(nford): Understanding a Statistical Reason Why You Love the Beatles' Music. Journal of Beatles Studies. In Press

· Price, A., Nelson, S. P., Weber, A., & Lwin, M. (provisionally accepted, 2025). AI Audio Detector: A Machine Learning System for Detecting AI-Generated Audio Using Benford's Law and Spectral Analysis. The Journal of Open Source Software.

· Prince Nelson, S. (2025, October 29). Regurgitative AI: Why ChatGPT Won't Kill Original Thought. Faculty Focus.

· Prince Nelson, S., Fu, R., & Nwokoye, A. (2025). Joint Dichotomization: An R package for optimal cutpoint selection in binary classification. Software available at: https://github.com/mylovelyladylocs/JointDichotomization.

· Prince Nelson, S. & Patil, V. (in preparation). An Extended Simulation Study Comparing CLogic to Tree-Based and Ensemble Methods in Identifying Interactions of Continuous and Binary Variables. Targeted for submission to The International Journal of Biostatistics, January 2027.

· Prince Nelson, S. (2023). A Simulation Study Comparing Tree-Based Methods in Identifying Interactions of Continuous and Binary Variables for Prediction of Increased Risk of Disease. Biostatistics Research, April 2023. https://doi.org/10.37256/bsr.1120232148

· Bantange, C., Burgett, D., Haws, L., & Prince Nelson, S. (2023). The Benfordness of Bach Music. Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 13(2).

· Prince Nelson, S., Ramakrishnan, V., Nietert, P., Kamen, D., Ramos, P., & Wolf, B. (2022). A Comparison of Joint Dichotomization and Single Dichotomization of Interacting Variables to Discriminate a Disease Outcome. International Journal of Biostatistics, 18(2), 613-625. DOI: 10.1515/ijb-2021-0071.

· Bornstein, D.B., Sacko, R.S., Prince Nelson, S., Grieve, G., Beets, M., Forrest, L., Hauret, K., Whitsel, L., & Jones, B. (2022). A State-by-State and Regional Analysis of the Direct Medical Costs of Treating Musculoskeletal Injuries among US Army Trainees. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 74, 53-59.

· Prince Nelson, S., Wickman, B., Null, J., & Gazin, E. (2022). Benford's Law and Music Note Frequencies. In Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Mathematics and Computation in Music (MCM 2022), Atlanta, GA, June 21--24, 2022.

· Prince Nelson, S., Wickman, B., Null, J., & Gazin, E. (2021). An Evaluation of Music's Adherence to Benford's Law Throughout History. Journal of Mathematical Sciences: Advances and Applications, Sept. 2021.

· Prince Nelson, S., Ramakrishnan, V., Nietert, P., Kamen, D., Ramos, P., & Wolf, B.J. (2017). An Evaluation of Common Methods for Dichotomization of Continuous Variables to Discriminate Disease Status. Communications in Statistics - Theory and Methods, 46(21), 10823-10834. DOI: 10.1080/03610926.2016.1248783.

· White-Gilbertson, S., & Prince Nelson, S., et al. (2015). Analysis of the National Cancer Data Base to Describe Treatment Trends in Stage IV Oral Cavity and Pharyngeal Cancers in the United States 1998--2012. Journal of Registry Management, Winter, 146-151.

· Yuen, H., & Prince Nelson, S. (2013). Test-Retest Reliability of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49) in Adults with Systemic Sclerosis. Special Care in Dentistry, 33(3), 27-33.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)

Beat ChatGPT: Cultivating Critical AI Literacy Through Student-Created Problems. Accepted (peer-reviewed) with minor revisions, Teaching Repository of AI-Infused Learning (TRAIIL), University of Central Florida, forthcoming 2025.
Regurgitative AI: Why ChatGPT Won’t Kill Original Thought. Faculty Focus, October 2025.
“Teaching Critical Thinking with AI: Rethinking Math Instruction in the Age of ChatGPT.” Presentation, Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), Washington, D.C., January 2026.

Research with Undergraduates

2025: Benford's Law in Music: Exploring Human and AI-Generated Music Across Genres

· Collaborators: Alex Price, Amara Nwokoye, Rachel Collins, Therese Elvira Mombou Gasting, Madi Lwin, Aaliyah Weber

· This research applies Benford's Law to music datasets spanning Queen, Amapiano, Japanese traditional music, and AI-generated compositions. The project investigates statistical signatures of musical authenticity and cross-cultural variation, laying groundwork for software that distinguishes between human-created and AI-generated music.

2025: JointDichotomization: Developing an R Package for Optimal Cutpoint Selection in Binary Classification

· Collaborators: Robert Fu, Amara Nwokoye

· This research focuses on developing the JointDichotomization R package, which identifies optimal cutpoints for dichotomizing two continuous predictors when classifying a binary outcome, integrating statistical modeling and computational methods to improve classification accuracy.

2024: Comparison of Nonparametric Survival Models in Case-Cohort and Generalized Case-Cohort Studies

· Collaborator: ChenXi Zhang

· A statistical comparison of nonparametric survival models applied to case-cohort and generalized case-cohort designs, focusing on model accuracy and robustness in medical research.

2022: Benford's Law in Music

· Collaborators: Darby Burgett, Chadrack Bantange, Luke Haws

· Analyzed the adherence of musical note frequencies to Benford's Law, examining its application to modern music genres and AI music.

2021: Benford's Law in Music

· Collaborators: Eric Gazin, Jack Null, Brian Wickman

· Investigated the use of Benford's Law in analyzing patterns in music note frequencies and its implications in classical music.

Teaching Experience

Washington and Lee University — Lexington, VA
Associate Professor of Mathematics, May 2026 – Present

Assistant Professor of Mathematics, August 2020–May 2026

Course	Title / Notes	Years Taught
MATH 101	Calculus	2021–Present
MATH 309	Probability	2020–Present
MATH 310	Mathematical Statistics	2020–Present
DS 395	Statistics and Medicine	2021–2025
MATH/MUS 260	Mathematics and Music in East Asia — Spring Term Abroad, Korea	Spring 2024
MATH/DS 260 (Planned)	Exploratory Data Science in a Global Context — Spring Term Abroad, Korea	Spring 2026
MATH 260 (Planned)	The Mathematics and Culture of Origami — Spring Term Abroad, Japan	Spring 2027

The Citadel — Charleston, SC
Visiting Faculty, August 2016–June 2020
Taught: Precalculus, Calculus I & II, Statistical Methods, Intro to Probability and Statistics, Probability and Statistics

Ashley Hall School — Charleston, SC
Mathematics Teacher, August 2004–July 2010
Taught: Algebra I–III, Trigonometry, Precalculus, AP Statistics

Directed Math Team
Also taught Dance (ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop)

Georgetown Day School — Washington, DC
Mathematics Teacher, August 2001–July 2004
Taught: Algebra II, Precalculus, AP Calculus

Directed Dance Club and Math Team

Fellowships and Leadership Positions

· AI Fellow, Washington and Lee University (2024--Present)

o Lead faculty AI bootcamps during Fall and Winter Academies (30+ faculty participants)

o Maintain twice-weekly office hours at PLAI Lab for faculty, staff, and student consultations

o Co-developed and moderated PLAI Summit, bringing national speakers to campus

o Facilitate tenure-track faculty AI writing retreat series

· MAA NAM Section Lecturer (2027--2030)

o National recognition and invited lecture appointment through the Mathematical Association of America

· Richmond Center for Liberal Arts and AI Faculty Engagement Fellow (CLAAI) (2024--Present)

o Represent Washington and Lee in AI pedagogy initiatives across Associated Colleges of the South schools

· Project NExT Fellow (2022)

o National recognition awarded to fewer than 100 mathematicians annually for excellence in teaching, scholarship, and professional development

· Teacher-Scholar Fellowship, The Citadel (2016-2020)

Keynote and Invited Presentations

(2026). Simulation Study Benchmarking CLogic Against CART, Random Forests, and Explainable Boosting Machines. Mathematical Association of America (MAA) MathFest.
(2026, January). Workshop: "Teaching with AI." Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), Washington DC.
(2026, January). The Case for Base-8: A Novel Way to Apply Benford's Law to Music. Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), Washington DC.
(2025). Work Smarter, Not Harder: Let AI Help You Win at College, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA. [Invited Workshop]
(2023). C.Logic: An Algorithm for Predicting Disease Outcome Using Combinations of Continuous and Binary Variables. Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM), Toronto, Canada.
(2023). The Backwards Flip Method for Teaching Calculus 1. Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Conference, Tampa, FL.
(2022). Benford's Law in Classical Music. Presenter at International Musicological Society East Asia (IMSEA), Jeonju, South Korea.
(2022). Benford's Law in Classical Music, Presenter at Mathematics and Computation in Music Conference, Atlanta, GA.
(2022). Benford's Law in Music, Invited speaker at St. Mary's College.
(2021). The Correlation Between Statistics and Music Throughout History. Frontier Days, Las Vegas, NV.
(2015). A Novel Statistical Method for Identifying Genetic and Environmental Factors Leading to Health Disparities. Invited speaker at Proctor & Gamble, Cincinnati, OH.
(2015). Genetic and Environmental Factors Leading to Lupus in the SC Gullah Population. Invited speaker at MUSC's EE Just Symposium.
(2014). A New Statistical Algorithm for Classifying and Predicting Disease Outcome from Binary and Continuous Predictors and Their Interactions. University of North Carolina.
(2014). A Novel Statistical Method for Identifying Genetic and Environmental Interactions Leading to Disease. Eastern North Atlantic Region of the International Biometric Society Conference, Baltimore, MD.
(2014). A Novel Statistical Method for Identifying Genetic and Environmental Factors Leading to Health Disparities. James E. Clyburn Lecture, Columbia, SC.

Conference and Institutional Presentations

(2023). Comparison of Nonparametric Survival Models in Case-Cohort and Generalized Case-Cohort Studies, Math, Munch, & Mingle Talk
(2019). Making Sense of the Madness: Using Statistics to Predict the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The Citadel.
(2017). From Poverty to PhD. Mainland High School, Daytona Beach, FL.
(2017). The Influence of Mathematical Preparedness on Student Performance in an Engineering Statics Course. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL.
(2016). C.Logic: An Algorithm to Classify Dichotomous Disease Outcomes Using Interactions Between Dichotomous and Continuous Predictors. Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM), Chicago, IL.
(2014). Preliminary Steps for Developing a New Statistical Algorithm for Classifying and Predicting Disease Outcome from Binary and Continuous Predictors. MUSC Student Research Day.
(2014). C.Logic: A Method for Predicting Disease Outcome. MUSC Student Research Day (Second Place Winner).
(2013). Reduced Actin Polymerization in Lung of IQGAP1 in Knockout Mice: Implication for Scleroderma Pulmonary Fibrosis. MUSC College of Medicine Research Day.
(2012). Preliminary Steps for Developing a Secondary Breast Cancer Lymphedema Assessment Tool. Hollings Cancer Retreat.
(2011). Health Disparities in the Development of Lymphedema in Breast Cancer Survivors. MUSC Student Research Day (First Place Winner).
(2008). Dynamics of Nearly Circular Vortex Filaments. ChaCha Days Statistical Meeting and College of Charleston Graduate Student Research Day (First Place Winner).

Service to the Profession of Mathematics and Statistics

· (2022--Present). Member, Math JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion)

· (2022). Co-organizer, Project NExT, Joint Mathematics Meetings

· (2022, 2023, 2024). Reviewer, NSF Noyce Grant

· (2021). Editorial Board Member, Open Journal of Statistics

· (2021). Reviewer, British Medical Journal

Service in Outreach to the Community

(2010–2016). Panelist, mentoring presentations to encourage undergraduate minorities to pursue graduate degrees, MUSC.
(2015). Member, MUSC College of Graduate Studies Admissions Committee.
(2015). Selected to present research, MUSC Board of Trustees.
(2010–2016). Homework Helper, Carolina Youth Development Center (CYDC).

University and Department Service

Institutional Leadership

· (2024--Present). AI Fellow, Washington and Lee University

· Designed and led faculty AI bootcamps (Fall and Winter Academies)

· Maintain twice-weekly office hours at PLAI Lab

· Co-developed and moderated PLAI Summit

· Facilitate tenure-track faculty AI writing retreat series

· (2025--Present). Richmond Center for Liberal Arts and AI Faculty Engagement Fellow (CLAAI)

· Represent W&L across Associated Colleges of the South schools

Committee Service

· (2025). Member, Dean of the College Search Committee

· (2025). Member, Director of Lifelong Learning Search Committee

· (2024). W&L representative at Sweet Briar President Inauguration

· (2023--2024). W&L AI Hub

· (2022--2024). Pinney Award Selection Committee

· (2022--2023). SSA Committee

· (2021, 2024). Math Department Hiring Committee

· (2020--2023). Fellowships Committee

· (2020). Antiracism Committee

Alumni and Community Engagement

· (2025--2026). W&L 25th Reunion Committee

· (2024--2025). Black Alumni Reunion Steering Committee

· (2024). Philanthropy and the W&L Experience Panel (Leticia Pate Evans Society)

· (2024). Presenter, W&L Parents Weekend

· (2024). Presenter, Five Star Generals (alumni 50+ years)

· (2023, 2024). GenTech Panelist

· (2023, 2024). Philanthropy Education Week Presenter

· (2022--2023). Admitted Students Day Lectures

· (2022--Present). Fall Fly In Program Presenter

· (2022, 2023). Women's Leadership Council Presenter

· (2021--2025). Class Agent

· (2020--2022). Alumni Reunion Committee

Student Support and Mentoring

· (2020--Present). Faculty Athletic Mentor for Women's Track Team

· (2024). Faculty Advisor for Poker Club

· (2024). Presenter to DIVE students

· (2024). Author Talk at Washington and Lee

Honors & Awards

· (2024). Writer Accountability Group (WAG) Participant

· (2023--2024). Ethical Reasoning in Action Participant

· (2022, 2023, 2024). Mini-grants, Washington and Lee University

· (2021, 2022, 2024). Lenfest Grant, Washington and Lee University

· (2014). SREB Fellowship to complete my PhD

Skills

· Proficient in R programming language and statistical modeling

· Proficient in generative AI and machine learning applications

· Experienced in manuscript and grant writing

· Public speaker with experience in keynote presentations and international conferences

· Bassist for Rockbridge Symphony Orchestra

· Proficient in Spanish and Portuguese

· Actively learning French, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Vietnamese, and Haitian Creole

· Fiction author with multiple published works

· Strong leadership and collaboration skills through committee work and project coordination