Zhangxing ( John ) Chen Wins the 2017 CAIMS-Fields Industrial Mathematics Prize
The CAIMS-Fields annual industrial mathematics prize is awarded to a researcher in recognition of exceptional research in any branch of industrial mathematics .
THE CANADIAN APPLIED AND INDUSTRIAL
MATHEMATICS
SOCIETY and the Fields Institute are pleased to announce that Professor Zhangxing ( John ) Chen has been awarded the 2017 CAIMS-Fields Industrial Mathematics Prize for his seminal contributions to industrial and applied mathematics , computational science , and modelling of flow in porous media .
Dr . Chen is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary and currently holds the NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Reservoir Simulation and the AITF ( iCORE ) Industrial Chair in Reservoir Modeling . His group uses modelling and simulation to develop new , more economical , and more sustainable ways to recover heavy oil and oil sands resources .
Throughout his career , Dr . Chen has led many collaborative projects with industrial partners including Suncor , Nexen Energy , Petróleos Mexicanos , China National Petroleum Corp ., and Computer Modelling Group . His research has had major impact on practical applications in the oil and energy sectors , as evidenced by his 15 patents .
Dr . Chen ’ s publication record is stellar , with 16 books and over 500 refereed journal papers covering problems ranging from existence-uniqueness theory , finite element approximations , homogenization , and parallel algorithms , with applications to multi-phase porous media flow , CO 2 sequestration , and semiconductor device simulations . Dr . Chen has also made major contributions to training , having supervised over 100 graduate students and post-docs in industrial applications of mathematics and advanced computing algorithms .
Dr . Chen holds a PhD ( 1991 ) from Purdue University and held positions at Xi ’ an Jiaotong University , Peking University , the University of Minnesota , Texas A & M University , Mobil , and Southern Methodist University ( SMU ), before arriving at the University of Calgary in 2007 .
As part of the award , Dr . Chen will be invited to deliver a lecture at the CAIMS Annual Meeting taking place in Halifax from July 17 to 21 , 2017 . �
2010 Fields Medallist , Cédric Villani , Elected to French National Assembly
Villani won 69 % of the vote in the 5th constituency of Essonne , south of Paris .
CÉDRIC VILLANI , PROMINENT
MATHEMATICIAN and Director of the Institut Henri Poincaré in France , was elected to the French National Assembly last month as a representative of Emmanuel Macron ’ s party , “ La République En Marche !” Villani won 69 % of the vote in the 5th constituency of Essonne , south of Paris .
In an interview with Science Magazine , Villani said that “ it is important that scientists step in and become part of the political process .”
In 2014 , Villani was awarded the Fields Medal , one of the highest honours of mathematics , “ for his proofs of nonlinear Landau damping and convergence to equilibrium for the Boltzmann equation .” He was honoured at the 2014 Fields Medal Symposium hosted at the Fields Institute . In the Winter 2015 issue of Fields Notes , Villani described himself as a “ militant European federalist ”, perhaps foreshadowing his future political career .
Villani now plans to leave his Directorship at the Institut Henri Poincaré to focus on his political duties . We wish him the best of luck in this new role . �
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