SCDA’s Leslie Greengard Awarded John von Neumann Lecture Prize

Leslie Greengard, founding director of the Simons Center for Data Analysis (SCDA), has been awarded the 2014 John von Neumann Lecture prize, the highest honor awarded by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). Established in 1959, the prize is awarded to a mathematician or scientist who has made significant contributions to the field of applied mathematical sciences.

Greengard received the prize in recognition of his contributions to computational science, including his work, jointly with Vladimir Rokhlin, on the fast multipole method (FMM) — a mathematical technique with a wide range of applications, from chip simulation to molecular modeling and systems biology. The FMM changed our understanding of integral equations, particle simulations, spectral methods and geometric complexity.

At the SIAM Annual Meeting, held in Chicago on July 8, Greengard received the award and presented the lecture ‘Fast, Accurate Tools for Physical Modeling in Complex Geometry.’

SIAM is an international society of more than 14,000 members working to advance the disciplines of applied mathematics and computational science by publishing in peer-reviewed research journals, conducting conferences and hosting activity groups. Members from 85 countries include researchers, educators, students and practitioners in industry, government, laboratories and academia.