Katherine Piret

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Katherine Piret is a mathematician whose research centers on computational algebraic geometry, particularly the development and application of numerical methods for solving polynomial systems. Her major contribution lies in enhancing the accessibility and modularity of PHCpack, a foundational software package for polynomial homotopy continuation. In her 2008 paper "Computing critical points of polynomial systems using PHCpack and Python," Piret pioneered a Python interface that transformed PHCpack from a monolithic Ada program into a more flexible, user-friendly tool. This work, cited 3 times, addressed a critical bottleneck in computational mathematics: enabling researchers to compute critical points without the steep learning curve of parsing output files or navigating rigid code structures. By creating modular features that integrate seamlessly with Python's ecosystem, Piret made advanced polynomial system solving accessible to a broader community of scientists and engineers. Her efforts exemplify the vital role of software engineering in mathematical research, bridging theoretical algorithms with practical, reproducible computation. While her citation count is modest, the impact of her work is measured in the expanded usability of a key computational tool, supporting fields from robotics to theoretical physics.