Bio

Sarah Mulutzie is a Ph.D. student in Operations Research at NC State University who enjoys using math and modeling to untangle complex problems. Alongside her studies, she works full-time at MITRE as a lead operations research analyst, focusing on modeling and simulation for mission‑driven, real‑world problems. After traveling around as a military family, she and her family have settled in North Carolina for the past twelve years. Mulutzie’s husband and four kids are a big part of why she pushes herself to grow. Pursuing her Ph.D. is something she chose not just to deepen her technical skills, but to become better at the work she cares about, building tools and insights that can genuinely help people.

Advisor(s)

Maria Mayorga

Area(s) of Expertise

Mulutzie's research uses agent‑based modeling to explore how individual human behaviors shape the spread of infectious diseases. By simulating people as independent “agents” who make decisions, interact, move through communities and respond to risk in different ways, her research aims to uncover how small behavioral shifts can lead to big changes in disease dynamics. This approach helps reveal patterns that traditional models often miss, offering insights that can support more effective public health planning and decision‑making.