Mahsa N. Shirazi

Tagline:CAS Instructor @ Universities of Manitoba and Winnipeg | Mathematics

Winnipeg, MB, Canada

About me

I am a mathematician and contract academic staff instructor at the University of Winnipeg. Previously, I was a PIMS postdoctoral researcher (2022-2024), working with Karen Gunderson. I received my PhD in Mathematics from the University of Regina, under the supervision of Shaun Fallat and Karen Meagher, in 2022. My earlier training includes an MSc in Numerical Analysis from Shiraz University of Technology in 2015, under the supervision of Behnam Hashemi.

My research background is in graph theory, extremal/probabilistic combinatorics, and linear algebra . Over the past few years, my work has evolved toward applying this research background to undergraduate instruction by designing clearer explanations, richer examples, and more meaningful applications, while supporting student engagement through active learning.

I am currently building teaching projects that combine strong conceptual foundations with visual and computational explanation. In particular, I develop modular animations using Manim (Python) to support conceptual understanding in undergraduate topics such as linear systems, with the longer-term goal of sharing these materials as open educational resources (OER). Please see

Feel free to explore my CV for more details.

Here is a short demo clip (created with Manim) that I am developing to support conceptual understanding in linear algebra:

Teachings

Math Access II (Math 0042)
From: 2026, Until: present
Organization:University of WinnipegField:Math & Stats
Description:
48 students
Pre-Calculus in Practice (Math 1018)
From: 2025, Until: 2025
Organization:University of ManitobaField:Mathematics
Introduction to Calculus II (Math 1104)
From: 2025, Until: 2025
Organization:University of WinnipegField:Math & Stats
Description:
12 students
Vector Geometry and Linear Algebra (Math 1300)
From: 2025, Until: 2025
Organization:University of ManitobaField:Mathematics
Description:
70 Students
Math 1300 Lab Coordinator
From: 2024, Until: 2024
Organization:University of ManitobaField:Mathematics
Description:
Managing and coordinating a team of 10 Teaching Assistants (TAs) across 18 labs with 650 students, and providing TAs’ training. Managing the administration and organization of tutorial assessments and grading processes. Administering TA evaluations and supporting course operations as required
Math Access for E/M Teachers
From: 2024, Until: 2024
Organization:University of WinnipegField:Mathematics
Description:
46 students, Fall 2024
Math Access I (Online)
From: 2024, Until: 2024
Organization:University of WinnipegField:Mathematics
Description:
29 students, Fall 2024
Vector Geometry and Linear Algebra (Math 1300)
From: 2024, Until: 2024
Organization:University of ManitobaField:Mathematics
Description:
320 students in 2 sessions, Winter 2024
Multivariable Calculus (Math 2720)
From: 2023, Until: 2023
Organization:University of ManitobaField:Mathematics
Description:
33 students, Spring/Summer 2023
Combinatorics 1 (Math 2030)University of Manitoba 63 students
From: 2022, Until: 2022
Organization:University of ManitobaField:Mathematics
Description:
63 students, Fall 2022

Undergraduate Supervisions

AM
Atishaya Maharjan
On Stars in Trees and Strongly Regular Graphs,
date: 2024 - present
University: University of Manitoba .Department: Mathematics .
Description:
This project was part of The Manitoba eXperimental Mathematics Laboratory (MXML)

MXML website
MK
Marshall Kaatz
An Acyclic Spin on the Classical Ramsey Numbers
date: 2023 - 2023
University: University of Manitoba .Department: Mathematics .
Description:
Faculty of Science Undergraduate Student Summer Research, USRA (co-supervision with Karen Gunderson)
AS
Anu Singh (University of Saskatchewan) and Jaskaran Singh (University of Manitoba)
Chip firing games: applications of the Smith Norm
date: 2022 - 2023
Description:
PIMS Virtual Experimental Mathematics Lab (VXML) (co-supervision with R. Tej
Pantangi)

PIMS VXML

Publications

The q-analogue of zero forcing for certain families of graphs
Journal ArticlePublisher:Discrete Applied MathematicsDate:2024
Authors:
Shaun FallatNeha JoshiRoghayeh MalekiKaren MeagherSeyed Ahmad MojallalShahla NasserasrMahsa N ShiraziAndriaherimanana Sarobidy RazafimahatratraBrett Stevens
Robustness of Erdős-Ko-Rado theorems on permutations and perfect matchings
ManuscriptPublisher:arXivDate:2024
Authors:
Karen GundersonKaren MeagherJoy Morris Venkata Raghu Tej PantangiMahsa N Shirazi
An extension of the Erdős-Ko-Rado theorem to set-wise 2-intersecting families of perfect matchings
Journal ArticlePublisher:Discrete MathematicsDate:2023
Authors:
Mahsa N Shirazi
An extension of the Erdős-Ko-Rado theorem to uniform set partitions
Journal ArticlePublisher:Ars Mathematica ContemporaneaDate:2023
Authors:
B Stevens K Meagher
Extensions of the Erdős-Ko-Rado Theorem to Perfect Matchings
ThesisPublisher:The University of Regina (Canada)Date:2022
Authors:
Mahsa Nasrollahi Shirazi
Weakly Hadamard diagonalizable graphs
Journal ArticlePublisher:Linear Algebra and its ApplicationsDate:2021
Authors:
Mohammad AdmKhawla AlmuhtasebShaun FallatKaren MeagherShahla NasserasrMahsa N ShiraziAS Razafimahatratra
The Erdős–Ko–Rado theorem for 2-intersecting families of perfect matchings
Journal ArticlePublisher:Algebraic CombinatoricsDate:2021
Authors:
Shaun FallatKaren MeagherMahsa N Shirazi
Explicit formulae for the greatest least-squares and minimum norm g-inverses and the unique group inverse of matrices over commutative residuated dioids
Journal ArticlePublisher:Semigroup ForumDate:2016
Authors:
Behnam HashemiHanieh TavakolipourMahsa Nasrollahi Shirazi
Three Methods for Solving Generalized Sylvester Matrix Equations Over Boolean Algebra.
Journal ArticlePublisher:Journal of Multiple-Valued Logic & Soft ComputingDate:2015
Authors:
Behnam HashemiMahsa Nasrollahi ShiraziHanieh Tavakolipour
Comparison of the quasi-inverses of the Kronecker sum and product of matrices over complete commutative dioids with applications
Journal ArticlePublisher:Linear Algebra and its ApplicationsDate:2014
Authors:
Behnam HashemiHanieh TavakolipourMahsa Nasrollahi Shirazi

Selected Talks

A review on the Erdős-Ko-Rado theorem for uniform set partitions and perfect matchings
Date: Jun 2024
Event name: Canadian Mathematical Society, Winter Meeting .Location: Saskatoon, Canada .
Description:
(invited)
Uniform hypergraphs and balanced incomplete block designs with r-friendship property
Date: Dec 2023
Event name: Canadian Mathematical Society, Winter Meeting .Location: Montreal, Canada .
Description:
(invited)
Weakly Hadamard diagonalizable graphs
Date: Oct 2023
Event name: National Sun Yat-Sen University .Location: Kaohsiung, Taiwan .
Extensions of the friendship theorem, and their connection to designs
Date: Jun 2023
Event name: CanaDAM .Location: Winnipeg, Canada .
Description:
(invited)
On weakly Hadamard diagonalizable graphs
Date: Mar 2023
Event name: 05C50 Online .
Description:
(invited)
Extensions of the friendship theorem
Date: Feb 2023
Event name: Virtual Emergent Research: The PIMS Postdoctoral Fellow Colloquium Series .Location: Online .
Graphs with r-friendship properties
Date: Dec 2022
Event name: PRIMA congress .Location: Vancouver, Canada .
Description:
(invited)
On weakly Hadamard diagonalizable graphs
Date: Jun 2022
Event name: BIRS, Cross-community collaborations in combinatorics .Location: Banff, Canada .
Description:
(invited)
On the eigenvalues of the perfect matching derangement graph
Date: Apr 2022
Event name: Virtual Algebraic Graph Theory Seminar .Location: University of Waterloo .
Description:
(invited)
On weakly Hadamard diagonalizable graphs
Date: Jul 2021
Event name: 28th British Combinatorial Conference, Virtual .
On a generalization of set-wise intersection of perfect matchings
Date: Jun 2021
Event name: Canadian Mathematical Society, Summer Meeting .Location: Virtual .
Description:
(invited)
On a generalization of the Erdős-Ko-Rado theorem to intersecting and set-wise intersecting perfect matchings
Date: Jun 2021
Event name: CanaDAM .Location: Virtual .
Description:
(Invited)
Extensions of the Erdős-Ko-Rado theorem to 2-intersecting perfect matchings and 2-intersecting permutations
Date: Sep 2020
Event name: Virtual Algebraic Graph Theory Seminar .
Description:
(invited, with A. S. Razafimahatratra)
Erdős-Ko-Rado theorem for t-intersecting families of perfect matchings
Date: May 2019
Event name: Women in Mathematics Day .Location: Shiraz University of Technology, Shiraz, Iran .
Description:
(Invited)
Review of some nonexistence results for strong external difference families
Date: Jul 2018
Event name: Prairie Discrete Mathematics Workshop .Location: Brandon University, Canada .