Dr. Wallin is the Director of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Computational and Data Science and a Professor at Middle Tennessee State University in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

My research has recently focused on three topics:

• Understanding the gravitational interactions in the universe using a variety of computational and observational techniques to link numerical models with data. The goal of this project is to connect dynamical parameters associated with galaxy interactions (time since the collision, mass ratios, etc.) to star formation rates and morphology.
• Using crowd-sourced data to train neural networks in complex image identification tasks. The current project is focused on identifying characters in Ancient Greek manuscripts. In a broader sense, this research focus on how well machines can learn from imperfect data.
• Exploring how mixed reality systems can be used in post-secondary STEM classrooms. Currently, this involves developing a scriptable interface for MR, developing laboratory modules, and then testing it in the classroom.  

Wallin received his B.S. Degrees in Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics at Mankato State University in 1984. In 1989, Wallin obtained his Ph.D. in Astrophysics at Iowa State University. He was a National Research Council Cooperative Research Associate working in the Space Sciences Division at the Naval Research Laboratory from 1989 to 1992. From 1992 to 2010, Dr. Wallin was a faculty member in the Computational Science Program at George Mason University. During the 1999-2000 school year, he was on sabbatical leave as a visiting scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory's Applied Physics Division (X-3). In 2010, he took the job as the first director of the Computational Sciences Program at MTSU. During the spring of 2010, he will be a Visiting Fellow at Mansfield College Oxford and the University of Minnesota. Dr. Wallin was awarded a Teaching Excellence Award in 1998 from George Mason University and was nominated for the Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award by the office of the Provost in 1999 and 2006. Dr. Wallin lives with his wife Katharine and their four cats in Murfreesboro Tennessee.

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Recent publications:

• Wallin, J.F. 2025. The Community of Scholars. Educator Reflections: The Power of Our Stories. MT Open Press. 1-4.
• West, G. et al. 2024. A deep learning pipeline for the palaeographical dating of ancient Greek papyrus fragments. Proceedings of the 1st Workshop on Machine Learning for Ancient Languages (ML4AL 2024) (Hybrid in Bangkok, Thailand and online., 2024), 177-185.
• Swindall, M.I. et al. 2024. Smart Digital Edition Management: A Blockchain Framework for Papyrology. (2024).
• Swindall, M.I. et al. 2024. Towards a Platform for AI-Assisted Papyrology. Joint Proceedings of the ACM IUI Workshops 2024 (Greenville, SC, Mar. 2024).
• West, G.T. et al. 2024. Incorporating Crowdsourced Annotator Distributions into Ensemble Modeling to Improve Classification Trustworthiness for Ancient Greek Papyri. Journal of Data Mining and Digital Humanities. (Feb. 2024). DOI:https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.46298/jdmdh.10297.
• West, G. et al. 2023. A kernel mixing strategy for use in stochastic optimization and adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo contexts. Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, section Optimization. (Jan. 2023). DOI:https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ascom.2023.100691. West, G. et al. 2023. A robust fitness function and genetic algorithm to morphologically constrain the dynamics of interacting galaxies. Astronomy and Computing. 42, (Jan. 2023), 100691. DOI:https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ascom.2023.100691.
• Swindall, M. et al. 2022. Dataset Augmentation in Papyrology with Generative Models: A Study of Synthetic Ancient Greek Character Images. Proceedings of the Thirty-First International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence AI and Arts. (Vienna, Austria, Jul. 2022), 4973-4979.
• West, G.T. et al. 2022. GA Galaxy: Interacting galaxies model fitter. Astrophysics Source Code Library. Astronomy Source Code Library. 2022ascl.soft02001W.

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Recent presentations:

• Wallin, J. F., Michigan Tech Physics Seminar, "Physics in the Age of Intelligent Machines," Michigan Tech, Houghton, MI, United States of America. (October 31, 2025).
• Wallin, J. F., CDS Seminar, "Autonomous Problem Solving," MTSU, zoom, Murfreesboro, TN. (September 5, 2025).
• Wallin, J. F., Virtual Astronomy Software Talks, "Teaching Computational Astrophysics in an AI World," Astronomy Source Code Library, zoom. (August 20, 2025).
• Wallin, J. F., EPSNA Virtual Summer School, "How Generative AI Works and How to Use it Wisely," EPSNA, zoom. (August 11, 2025).
• Wallin, J. F. (co-presenter), Banerjee, S. (co-presenter), Responsible Conduct of Research Training, "HOT TOPIC: AI, Tool or Temptation? Authorship, Publication, Peer Review, and Data," MTSU, SCI 1006, Murfreesboro, TN, United States of America. (June 6, 2026).
• Wallin, J. F., Jacks Gamble, L., Zaza, I. M., "What is AI?," Adam's Place Center for Independent Living, Murfreesboro, TN. (May 13, 2026).
• Wallin, J. F., Gamble, K. J., Phillips, J. L., Griswold, P. C., Smart, R. E., Zaza, I. M., Grad AI Kickoff, "Applied AI in Practice and What it Looks Like in Graduate Education," MTSU Graduate School. (April 30, 2026).
• Gamble, K. J., Wallin, J. F., Phillips, J. L., Clark, L. A., Moore, R. L., Salton, I., Tech Vision 2026, "AI Ethics and Regulations and Workforce Implications," Miller Education Center, Murfreesboro, TN, United States of America. (April 10, 2026).
• Wallin, J. F. (moderator), Ensey Hover, A. B., Whalen, E. A., Hinnenkamp, J. E., Gargel, M., Matsuo, A., Swart, L. A., Chong, N. S., Binkley, M. R., Tech Vision 2026, "Shaping the Future of Learning: Faculty Reflections on AI Integration," Miller Education Center, Murfreesboro, TN, United States of America. (April 10, 2026).
• Wallin, J. F., TMC Workshop, "Using Agentic AI," Teaching and Mentoring Center, MTSU, LIB 348, Murfreesboro, TN. (March 25, 2026).
• Wallin, J. F., MTSU Star Party, "Archeoastronomy: What Did Ancient People Know About the Sky?," Physics and Astronomy Department, Murfreesboro, TN, United States of America. (March 6, 2026).

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