In the United States, May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. As we recognize and honor the importance of Asian American and Pacific Islander mathematicians throughout history and their contributions to applied mathematics and computational and data science, please join us in celebrating by learning more about SIAM members Devina P. Sanjaya and Thomas Yizhao Hou.
Devina P. Sanjaya
Dr. Devina P. Sanjaya is an assistant professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She was born in Jakarta, Indonesia and started her academic career in 2019, after completing her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering and scientific computing from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She received her master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University and her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering with a mathematics minor from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She was a visiting scientist in the Advanced Supercomputing Division at the NASA Ames Research Center in the summer of 2016, 2017, and 2019. She has been a SIAM member for three years and is a 2023 MGB-SIAM Early Career Fellow.
Dr. Sanjaya is also actively raising awareness in cultural diversity. In the past, she participated in Indonesian cultural events, such as Balinese gamelan ensemble, angklung ensemble, and Saman dance. She served in a faculty panel hosted by the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers at the University of Tennessee to help Asian students establish themselves in the STEM field and reconnect with their Asian roots. She also pioneered a DEI seminar for undergraduate aerospace engineering students, which was partly focused on discussing differences in cultures and communication cues.
Watch the video below to learn more about Dr. Sanjaya’s career and advice to early career professionals.
Thomas Yizhao Hou
Dr. Thomas Yizhao Hou is the Charles Lee Powell Professor of Applied and Computational Mathematics at the California Institute of Technology. His research interests include computational fluid dynamics, multiscale problems, and 3D Euler singularity. Dr. Hou received his Ph.D. from UCLA in 1987, and became a tenure track assistant professor at the Courant Institute in 1989. He moved to the California Institute of Technology in 1993 and was named the Charles Lee Powell Professor in 2004. Additionally, Dr. Hou has been a member of SIAM for 36 years and was awarded the Ralph E. Kleinman Prize in 2023.
Dr. Hou has been actively involved in the Phi Tau Phi Scholastic Society, a Chinese American scholastic society that the promotes career developments of Chinese American faculty and students. He has served as the President of the Phi Tau Phi Scholastic Society West America Chapter and the Treasurer of the Phi Tau Phi National Office. In 2019, he received the Achievement Award from the Southern California Chinese American Faculty Association.
Watch the video below to learn more about Dr. Hou’s research and his advice to early career professionals.