John McAlister

John McAlister

he/him

Math PhD Student at the Universtiy of Tennessee - Knoxville

Posts by Collection

portfolio

Discrete stuctured coordination

A collection of tools for the analysis of an n-player, n-strategy coordination game on a network with neutral options. Considering the game as a dynamical system we describe orbits, equilibria, and stability.

Structured Replicator Dynamics

Code for the analysis and visualization of replicator dynamics with explicit relational structure in continuous time for both continuous and discrete player spaces.

Wildlife trade networks

Collection of code to model the bidirectional coupling of pathogenic dynamics and economic factors in wildlife trade networks.

publications

An adaptive dynamic model of a vigilance game among group foragers

Journal of Theoretical Biology, 2022

This paper discusses a game theoretic model of vigilance and offers theoretical support to the many eyes hypothesis of group foraging

Recommended citation: McAlister, J.S., Hamilton, I. (2022) An Adaptive Dynamic Model for the Vigilance Game in Group Foragers. Journal of Theoretical Biology. 538:111033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtbi.2022.111030
Download Paper | Link to Paper

A new paradigm for pandemic preparedness

Current Epidemiology Reports, 2023

This paper discusses the issues with the current state of pandemic science and a vision for the future.

Recommended citation: Fefferman, N.H., McAlister, J.S., Akpa, B.S., Akwataghibe, K., Azad F.T., BarkleyK., Bleichrodt, A., Blum M.J., Bourouiba, L., Bromberg, Y., Candan K.S., Chowell,G.,Clancey, E., Cathroan, F.A., DeWitte, S.N., Fernandez, P., Finnoff, D., Flaherty, D.T.,Gibson, N.L., Harris, N., He, Q., Lofgren, E.T., Miller, D.L., Moody, J., Muccio, K.,Nunn, C.L., Papes, M., Pachalidis, I.Ch., Pasquale, D.K., Reed, M.J., Rogers, M. B.,Schreiner, C. L., Strand E.B., Swanson C.S., Szabo-Rodgers, H. L., and Ryan, S. J. (2023) A New Paradigm for Pandemic Preparedness. Current Epidemiological Reports. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40471-023-00336-w
Download Paper | Link to Paper

An interdisciplinary perspective of the built-environment microbiome

FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2025

This paper discusses the challenges of studying the built environment microbiome because of the inherent interdisciplinary nature of the field.

Recommended citation: McAlister, J.S., M.J. Blum, Y. Bromberg, N.H. Fefferman, Q. He, E. Lofgren, D.L.Miller, C. Schreiner, K. Selcuk Candan, H. Szabo-Rogers, and J. M. Reed (2025) An Interdisciplinary Perspective of the Built-Environment Microbiome. FEMS Microbiology Ecology https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiae166
Download Paper | Link to Paper

Edge addition and the change in kemeny’s constant

Discrete Applied Mathematics, 2025

This paper finds upper and lower bounds for the change in Kemeny’s constant under edge addition from a tree

Recommended citation: Kirkland, S., Li, C., McAlister, J.S., and Zhang, X. (2023) Edge Addition and the Change in Kemeny's Constant. Discrete Applied Mathematics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dam.2025.04.031
Download Paper | Link to Paper

A game theoretic treatment of contagion in trade networks

Under Review at PLOS Computational Biology, 2025

In this paper we examine a game theoretic model of the wildlife trade network and investigate how network structure impacts spillover risk of disease.

Recommended citation: McAlister J. S., Brunner, J.L., Galvin, D. J., Fefferman, N.H. (2025) A Game Theoretic Treatment of Contagion in Trade Networks. Submitted to PLOS computational Biology. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2504.06905
Download Paper | Link to Paper

A nonlinear nonlocal diffusion equation for the analysis of continuous coordination and anti-coordination type games

Under Review at the Journal of Mathematical Biology, 2025

I introduce a continuous model of a modified coordination game and examine the dynamic and equilibrium properties of the resulting nonlinear nonlocal diffusion equation.

Recommended citation: McAlister J.S., Fefferman, N.H. Mengesha, T.A. (2025) Nonlinear Nonlocal Diffusion Equation for the Analysis of Continuous Coordination and Anti-coordination Type Games. submitted to Journal of Mathematical Biology. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2506.13929
Download Paper | Link to Paper

talks

teaching

MATH 119 College Algebra

Graduate Teaching, University of Tennessee - Knoxville, Department of Mathematics, 2021

College Algebra is a developmental math course which helps students arriving to college without a strong math background prepare to take collegate math. The course reviews and covers topics from algebra I and II including solutions to systems of linear equations, solving polynomial and rational equations, and the basics of plotting.

MATH 125 - Basic Calculus

Graduate Teaching, University of Tennessee - Knoxville, Department of Mathematics, 2022

Basic Calculus is a course covering the fundamentals of differential and integral calculus with a heavy emphasis on computation. While the course does not interogate much theory, students develop an understanding of the basic tools of calculs and how they can be used.

MATH 113 - Mathematical Reasoning

Graduate Teaching (instructor of record), University of Tennessee - Knoxville, Department of Mathematics, 2022

Mathematical Reasoning is a course geared towards undergraduate students who are looking to get a broad understanding of types of mathematics with a heavy emphasis on reasoning and a reduced emphasis on computation

Applied Math Undergraduate Research

Mentorship, University of Tennessee - Knoxville, Department of Mathematics, 2024

I was lucky enough to get ot mentor a very talented undergrad from UPenn through a research project about classifying limits of solutions to a model arising form the Theory of planned behavior.