Leroy Jia is a mathematician in the Applied and Computational Mathematics Division within the Information Technology Laboratory at NIST. He derives and solves equations that model squishy and active materials, which are commonly found in living things. Before coming to NIST, he obtained a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Brown University and worked at the Flatiron Institute's Center for Computational Biology. In his free time, Leroy trains for marathons and volunteers as a mentor for aspiring scientists.