He received his B.S. in Math and his B.A. in Music from UC Riverside and his Ph.D. in Math from Louisiana State University. Dr. Aikin founded the LSU Math Circle, which brings high school students to the LSU campus over the summer for a research experience in math. In 2016, Dr. Aikin co-founded the Inland Empire Math Teachers' Circle bringing together K-12 teachers and mathematicians once per month for a Dinner and a Math Problem event that immerses participants in an engaging problem solving experience.