These 22 distinguished individuals are being recognized by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) for their exemplary research, significant contributions, and outstanding service to the applied mathematics and computational science communities. The recipients were recognized during the SIAM Annual Meeting Prizes and Awards Luncheon on July 11th in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
SIAM congratulates and thanks, these recipients for their hard work and contributions, which strengthen and enhance the landscape of applied mathematics and computational science worldwide.
2017 SIAM prize recipients.
Jared L. Aurentz, Instituto de Ciencias Matemáticas, Madrid, is awarded the SIAM Outstanding Paper Prize for his paper, “Fast and Backward Stable Computation of Roots of Polynomials,” published in SIAM Journal on Matrix Analysis and Applications, Volume 36, Issue 3 (2015). Professor Aurentz shares the prize with his co-authors Thomas Mach, Raf Vandebril, and David S. Watkins.
Richard Bertram, Florida State University, is awarded the SIAM Outstanding Paper Prize for his paper, “Multiple Geometric Viewpoints of Mixed Mode Dynamics Associated with Pseudo-plateau Bursting,” published in SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems, Volume 12, Issue 2 (2013). Professor Bertram shares his prize with his co-authors Theodore Vo and Martin Wechselberger.
Liliana Borcea is the Peter Field Collegiate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Michigan and is awarded the AWM-SIAM Sonia Kovalevsky Lecture for her distinguished scientific contributions to the mathematical and numerical analysis of wave propagation in random media, array imaging in complex environments, and inverse problems in high-contrast electrical impedance tomography, as well as model reduction techniques for parabolic and hyperbolic partial differential equations. Professor Borcea’s lecture is titled “Mitigating Uncertainty in Inverse Wave Scattering.”
Niv Buchbinder, Tel Aviv University, is awarded the SIAM Outstanding Paper Prize for his paper “A Tight Linear Time (1/2)-Approximation for Unconstrained Submodular Maximization,” published in SIAM Journal on Computing, Volume 44, Issue 5 (2015) as part of the FOCS 2012 Special Section. Professor Buchbinder shares the prize with his co-authors Moran Feldman, Joseph (Seffi) Naor, and Roy Schwartz.
Emmanuel Candès is Chair of the Department of Statistics and the Barnum-Simons Chair in Mathematics and Statistics at Stanford University. He is also Professor of Electrical Engineering and Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at Stanford. He is being recognized with the Ralph E. Kleinman Prize for fundamental breakthroughs in information theory, signal processing, imaging, computational harmonic analysis, and their applications to daily life problems in engineering and in physical and biomedical sciences.
Jean-Michel Coron is a full professor at Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6) and a member of the French Academy of Sciences. He is being recognized with the W. T. and Idalia Reid Prize in Mathematics for fundamental contributions with lasting impact to both the analysis and control of nonlinear ordinary and partial differential equations, and in particular the Coron return method for feedback stabilization of nonlinear systems using time-varying controls, as well as applications of control theory to practical problems. There is a lecture associated with the prize, and Professor Coron’s lecture is titled “Feedback Stabilization of Control Systems.”
Moran Feldman, The Open University of Israel, is awarded the SIAM Outstanding Paper Prize for his paper “A Tight Linear Time (1/2)-Approximation for Unconstrained Submodular Maximization,” published in SIAM Journal on Computing, Volume 44, Issue 5 (2015) as part of the FOCS 2012 Special Section.Professor Feldman shares the prize with his co-authors Niv Buchbinder, Joseph (Seffi) Naor, and Roy Schwartz.
Zachary J. Grant is a Ph.D. student in engineering and applied science studying with Sigal Gottlieb at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He is awarded the SIAM Student Paper Prize for his paper, “Explicit Strong Stability Preserving Multistage Two-Derivative Time-Stepping Schemes,” published in Journal of Scientific Computing (2016), Volume 68, Issue 3, and co-authored with Professor Gottlieb, Andrew J. Christlieb, Michigan State University, and David C. Seal, US Naval Academy Annapolis.The award is based solely on the merit and content of the student’s contribution to the paper and is intended to recognize outstanding scholarship by students in applied mathematics or computing.
Bamdad Hosseini is a Ph.D. student in applied and computational mathematics at Simon Fraser University studying with John Stockie and Nilima Nigam. He is awarded a SIAM Student Paper Prize for his paper, “Well-Posed Bayesian Inverse Problems: Priors with Exponential Tails,” published in SIAM/ASA Journal on Uncertainty Quantification (2017), Volume 5, Issue 1, and co-authored with Professor Nigam.The award is based solely on the merit and content of the student’s contribution to the paper and is intended to recognize outstanding scholarship by students in applied mathematics and computing.
Lek-Heng Lim is an associate professor in the Department of Statistics and in the Computational and Applied Mathematics Initiative at the University of Chicago. He is awarded the James H. Wilkinson Prize in Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing for his contributions to multilinear algebra, spectral theory for tensors, and high-dimensional data analysis. He has done seminal work in generalizing eigenvalues and singular values to higher order tensors and arbitrary norms, and in establishing the difficulty of extending numerical linear algebra to multilinear algebra. His work builds bridges between computer science, applied mathematics, and computational science and has applications to applied topology, computational algebraic geometry, and signal processing.There is a lecture associated with the prize, and Professor Lim’s lecture is titled “Tensors in Computational Mathematics.”
Shuyang Ling is a Ph.D. student in applied mathematics studying with Thomas Strohmer at the University of California Davis. In September 2017, as a postdoc, he will join the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and the Center for Data Sciences, New York University, as a Courant Instructor/Assistant Professor. He is awarded the SIAM Student Paper Prize for his paper, “Self-Calibration and Biconvex Compressive Sensing,” published in Inverse Problems (2015), Volume 31, Issue 11, and co-authored with Professor Strohmer. The award is based solely on the merit and content of the student’s contribution to the paper and is intended to recognize outstanding scholarship by students in applied mathematics or computing.
Thomas Mach, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan, is awarded the SIAM Outstanding Paper Prize for his paper, “Fast and Backward Stable Computation of Roots of Polynomials,” published in SIAM Journal on Matrix Analysis and Applications, Volume 36, Issue 3 (2015). Professor Mach shares the prize with his co-authors Jared L. Aurentz, Raf Vandebril, and David S. Watkins.
Bernard J. Matkowsky is John Evans Professor of Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics, Mathematics, and (by courtesy) Mechanical Engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University. He was named The John von Neumann Lecturer in recognition of his leading contributions to the methods and applications of matched asymptotics and singular perturbations. He has had a successful impact on applications to problems exhibiting resonance, the effect of noise on deterministic dynamical systems, bifurcation phenomena, and to pattern formation. He is an international leader in the mathematical theory of gaseous combustion and combustion synthesis. As an active member of SIAM and a key member of the Northwestern University Mathematics Department, he has inspired a host of excellent applied mathematicians. Professor Matkowsky’s lecture is titled “Singular Perturbations in Noisy Dynamical Systems.”
Joseph (Seffi) Naor, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, is awarded the SIAM Outstanding Paper Prize for his paper “A Tight Linear Time (1/2)-Approximation for Unconstrained Submodular Maximization,” published in SIAM Journal on Computing, Volume 44, Issue 5 (2015) as part of the FOCS 2012 Special Section. Professor Naor shares his prize with his co-authors Niv Buchbinder, Moran Feldman, and Roy Schwartz.
Roy Schwartz, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, is awarded the SIAM Outstanding Paper Prize for his paper “A Tight Linear Time (1/2)-Approximation for Unconstrained Submodular Maximization,” published in SIAM Journal on Computing, Volume 44, Issue 5 (2015) as part of the FOCS 2012 Special Section. Professor Schwartz shares his prize with his co-authors Niv Buchbinder, Moran Feldman, and Joseph (Seffi) Naor.
Emily Shuckburgh is a climate scientist and deputy head of the Polar Oceans Team at the British Antarctic Survey, which is focused on understanding the role of the polar oceans in the global climate system. She was selected to deliver the I. E. Block Community Lecture for her ability to reach out broadly and encourage public appreciation of the excitement and vitality of science in addressing real world problems. The I. E. Block Community Lecture is scheduled as a public lecture at the SIAM Annual Meeting and is named in honor of the co-founder and former Managing Director of SIAM, I. Edward Block, to recognize his contributions to the growth of SIAM and to perpetuate his vision. Dr. Shuckburgh’s lecture is titled “From Flatland to Our Land: A Mathematician’s Journey through Our Changing Planet.
Nick Trefethen is Professor of Numerical Analysis and Head of the Numerical Analysis Group in the Oxford University Mathematical Institute. He is awarded the George Pólya Prize for Mathematical Exposition for the exceptionally well-expressed accumulated insights found in his books, papers, essays, and talks. Like Pólya’s, Trefethenʼs point of departure is complex analysis, but Trefethen also relies on a more recent mastery of numerical methods and computational software. His enthusiastic approach to his subject, his leadership, and his delight at the enlightenment achieved are unique and inspirational, motivating others to learn and do applied mathematics through the practical combination of deep analysis and algorithmic dexterity.
Raf Vandebril, KU Leuven, is awarded the SIAM Outstanding Paper Prize for his paper, “Fast and Backward Stable Computation of Roots of Polynomials,” published in SIAM Journal on Matrix Analysis and Applications, Volume 36, Issue 3 (2015). Professor Vandebril shares the prize with his co-authors Jared L. Aurentz, Thomas Mach, and David S. Watkins.
Theodore Vo, Boston University, is awarded the SIAM Outstanding Paper Prize for his paper, “Multiple Geometric Viewpoints of Mixed Mode Dynamics Associated with Pseudo-plateau Bursting,” published in SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems, Volume 12, Issue 2 (2013). Dr. Vo shares his prize with his co-authors Richard Bertram and Martin Wechselberger.
David S. Watkins, Washington State University, is awarded the SIAM Outstanding Paper Prize for his paper, “Fast and Backward Stable Computation of Roots of Polynomials,” published in SIAM Journal on Matrix Analysis and Applications, Volume 36, Issue 3 (2015). Professor Watkins shares the prize with his co-authors Jared L. Aurentz, Thomas Mach, and Raf Vandebril.
Martin Wechselberger, University of Sydney, is awarded the SIAM Outstanding Paper Prize for his paper, “Multiple Geometric Viewpoints of Mixed Mode Dynamics Associated with Pseudo-plateau Bursting,” published in SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems, Volume 12, Issue 2 (2013). Professor Wechselberger shares his prize with his co-authors Theodore Vo and Richard Bertram.
Ya-xiang Yuan is a professor in the Academy of Mathematical and Systems Science of the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) and affiliated with its State Key Laboratory of Scientific and Engineering Computing (LSEC). He is awarded the SIAM Prize for Distinguished Service to the Profession for his extraordinary achievements in developing and promoting applied mathematics in general and optimization in particular in China. The prize is awarded every year to an applied mathematician who has made distinguished contributions to the furtherance of applied mathematics on the national or international level. Professor Yuan has organized numerous conferences and workshops at both the national and international level, argued for support of mathematics in China, and provided guidance to generations of young Chinese optimization professionals. As a result of his efforts, there is a thriving community of optimization professionals in China meeting high international standards.
Learn more about SIAM’s prize program and more!